UK government borrows more than expected in setback before budget

Sheltering from the rain outside the Bank of England. Rachel Reeves is expected to raise taxes significantly next week. Photograph: Isabel Infantes/Reuters

Rachel Reeves was urged to use next week’s budget to create significantly more headroom against her fiscal rules, after official figures showed the UK government borrowed almost £10bn more than forecast in the year to October.

In the final snapshot of the public finances before the chancellor’s crunch budget, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said borrowing – the difference between public spending and income – was £17.4bn last month.