Annual statement for 2025-26, based on the ONS outturn, September 2026 releaseEarly version: cards checked by AI Journalist, human review to come
Where £1,366bn of public money went, and where it came from
Taxes and other income covered £1,231bn. The other £134bn was borrowed, so every new promise either takes money from somewhere else or adds to that line.
- Income
- £1,231bnSourcedTaken from an official release, linked.ONS Public sector finances, UK (PUSF time series dataset)
- taxes and other receipts
- Spending
- £1,366bnSourcedTaken from an official release, linked.ONS Public sector finances, UK (PUSF time series dataset)
- all public spending
- Borrowed
- £134bnSourcedTotal spending minus receipts (PSF-2026-09). Published borrowing for 2025-26: 134.3bn.ONS Public sector finances, UK (PUSF time series dataset)
- 9.8p of every £1 spent
- Debt
- £2.9tnSourcedPSND ex, £bn: end-March 2026 value of ONS CDID HF6W.ONS Public sector finances, UK (PUSF time series dataset)
- 93.3% of GDP in 2025-26
- Debt interest
- £109bnEstimateCentral government debt interest net of the APF (OBR definition): ONS CG interest payable (NMFX, 96.8bn) minus APF net interest receivable (MDD8, -11.8bn), summed April 2025 to March 2026.ONS Public sector finances, UK (PUSF time series dataset)
- 8.0p of every £1 spent
- Bank Rate
- 3.75%SourcedTaken from an official release, linked.Official Bank Rate (IADB series IUDBEDR) and MPC dates
- since 18 Dec 2025
The statement
Income on the left, spending on the right. The hatched band is borrowing. Move any lever and the flows redraw.
Where it came from
- Income tax£329bn
- National Insurance£204bn
- VAT£180bn
- Corporation tax£100bn
- Council tax£50.4bn
- Business rates£30.3bn
- Fuel duty£24.6bn
- Capital gains tax£24.3bn
- Stamp duties£21.4bn
- Alcohol & tobacco£19.9bn
- Inheritance tax£8.5bn
- Non-tax income£129bn
- Other taxes£109bn
- Borrowing£134bn
Where it went
- Social protection£407bn
- Health£258bn
- Education£126bn
- Debt interest£109bn
- Transport & economy£94bn
- Defence£65.4bn
- Police, courts, prisons£55.7bn
- Housing & environment£41.6bn
- Running government£35bn
- Culture & sport£15.1bn
- Accounting adjustments£160bn
No changes yet
Public debt, % of GDP. Dashed: the OBR forecast. Solid: your scenario, with its low–high band.
What moved
- Move a lever or pick a proposal. Every result shows a low–high range.
Your share of the bill
Income tax and National Insurance on a salary, under today's rates or your scenario, split the way the state spends it.
- Income tax
- £5,086
- National Insurance
- £2,034
- You pay a year
- £7,120
Excludes VAT, council tax and other taxes you also pay. Rates for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026-27.SourcedSourcedGOV.UK 'Income Tax rates and Personal Allowances' and HMRC 'Rates and thresholds for employers' for 2026-27. The allowance falls by £1 for every £2 above the taper threshold, as GOV.UK states. National Insurance rates apply across the UK; Scotland sets its own income tax bands.
- Social protection£2,124
- Health£1,343
- Accounting adjustments£832
- Education£656
- Debt interest£566
- Transport & economy£490
- Defence£341
- Police, courts, prisons£291
- Housing & environment£217
- Running government£183
- Culture & sport£78
- Plus borrowing on top£777
People like me
How your scenario changes the income of an example household, worked out by PolicyEngine. Your choices stay on this device.
Move a tax or benefit lever in the sandbox, such as VAT or income tax, then choose “Show who gains and loses” under your scenario. Go to the sandbox
Promise ledger
Every promise gets a card: what, who, how much, from where, and a timeline that ends in delivery or in silence.
- “That’s why Natural England is delivering the King’s Series of National Nature Reserves, which will create or extend 25 NNRs by 2027, leaving a legacy for people and nature.”Natural England · 7 Oct 2026 · Housing & environmentDeliveringReviewed by AI Journalist (automated)Due Dec 2027Cost not statedFunding not stated
- “When it comes to energy costs, our British industrial competitiveness scheme will save more than 10,000 manufacturers up to 25% of their electricity bills.”Blair McDougall · Labour · 9 Sep 2026 · Transport & economyIn planReviewed by AI Journalist (automated)£0.54bn to £0.66bncost a year
- “New legislation will be prepared by the government to force tech companies to make it impossible for children to take, share or view naked pictures.”HM Government · 9 Sep 2026 · Police, courts, prisonsPromisedReviewed by AI Journalist (automated)Cost not statedFunding not stated
- “The Conservatives have a cheap power plan to slash energy costs for the entire economy. It involves hard-nosed choices: repealing the Climate Change Act 2008, axing the emissions trading scheme, scrapping wind and solar subsidies, investing in nuclear and getting the North sea drilling again.”Conservative Party · 9 Sep 2026 · Transport & economyPromisedReviewed by AI Journalist (automated)Cost not stated
- “The Conservatives would abolish the ZEV mandate.”Conservative Party · 9 Sep 2026 · Transport & economyPromisedReviewed by AI Journalist (automated)Cost not statedFunding not stated
- “Our curriculum and assessment reform will go hand in hand with that ambition, and we will soon publish proposals building on the Becky Francis review.”Lucy Powell · Labour · 9 Sep 2026 · EducationPromisedReviewed by AI Journalist (automated)Cost not statedFunding not stated
Track record
How each party's promises stand, counted from the cards. No scores: the mix speaks for itself.
| Party | Cards | Delivered | In progress | Not met | Undone | Unscoreable | Net cost of costed cards, a year | Funding named | Mix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour Party | 21 | 4 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +£52.4bn | 11 of 21 | |
| Conservative Party | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +£9bn | 2 of 3 | |
| HM Government | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | not costed | 1 of 3 | |
| Green Party of England and Wales | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −£15bn | 1 of 1 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +£6bn | 1 of 1 | |
| Natural England | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | not costed | 0 of 1 | |
| Plaid Cymru | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | not costed | 0 of 1 | |
| Reform UK | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +£21.1bn | 1 of 1 | |
| Scottish National Party | 1 | 11 by others | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +£2.8bn | 0 of 1 |
Seen a promise? Send it in.
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How the numbers work
Every number comes from one of 20 official sources, or is worked out from them, and says which.
Ranges, not points
Every result shows low, central and high. Tax levers use HMRC's costings, which include how taxpayers respond but not knock-on effects on the wider economy.
Every number has a label
- Sourced
- Estimate
- Modelled
- To check
Hover over or focus a number to see how it was made and where it comes from.
Checked against what happened
Every forecast shown here is recorded, and scored when the official outturn arrives, misses included.
How the numbers are madeForecasts against outturnOpen data API
Questions
What is Public Ledger?
An open profit-and-loss account of the UK state. It shows where public money comes from (taxes, other income and borrowing), where it goes, and what political promises would cost and who would pay.
Where do the numbers come from?
From official publications: ONS public sector finances, OBR forecasts, HM Treasury spending statistics, HMRC tax costings, DWP benefit statistics, GOV.UK tax rates and the Bank of England. Every number links to its source and the date of the release it came from.
Is the sandbox a forecast?
No. It shows the first-year effect of a change as a range, using official costings. Real outcomes depend on how people and the economy respond, so results are ranges, never single numbers.
How is a promise's status decided?
By one published standard, the same for every party. A status changes only on evidence: a plan, a bill, money in a budget, or delivery. The full history of each card is kept, including any rewording of the promise.
Who checks the cards?
Every card is re-read against its live sources by AI Journalist, our automated reviewer: the quote word for word, the dates, the evidence, the status, the cost, neutral wording and legal risk. Anything it finds is fixed in public as a dated correction on the card. Human editors review each card next; nothing a reader sends in is published until two editors agree.
Do I need an account?
No. Reading, using the sandbox and sharing a scenario never need an account. You can follow a promise by RSS, email or Telegram without one.
Is my salary sent anywhere?
No. The "your share" calculator runs in your browser. What you type is never sent or stored.
Can I send in a promise or evidence?
Yes, with the form on this page. Editors check every submission against the original source, and nothing is published until two editors agree.