26 January 2011
Official figures have revealed that the national debt has risen above £2 trillion for the first time in our history.

According to the Office for National Statistics the national debt, including the cost of bailing out the banks, now stands at £2,323,000,000,000. That works out at over £37,600 for every man, woman and child in the country.

Because of this, we are currently paying £43 billion per year, over £120 million per day, in debt interest. This is money that could otherwise be spent on frontline services like schools and hospitals. The average earner in the Waveney Constituency has to work for 154 days just to pay the interest on Labour’s debts.

Commenting, Mr Aldous said:

‘These are shocking figures. As we brace ourselves for cuts in our public services we must remember that the longer this debt is left the worse it will get. If we don’t take steps now to live within our means we’ll end up paying higher taxes and face deeper cuts just to pay off our debt’