The facts (as reported in its 2010 election brief by the independent and generally respected Institute for Fiscal Studies) are these:
"By 2007–08, the public finances were in a stronger position than they had been when Labour came to power in 1997. Though public spending increased from 39.9% in 1996–97 to 41.1% in 2007–08 (an increase of 1.2 percentage points), over the same period revenues grew by 2.3 percentage points, meaning that total borrowing fell by 1.0 percentage point over this period … .With more being spent on investment in 2007–08 than in 1996–97, the current budget (that is, the difference between current revenues and spending on non-investment items) strengthened even more – from a deficit of 2.7% of national income in 1996–97 to a deficit of just 0.3% of national income in 2007–08. Meanwhile, public sector net debt fell from 42.5% of national income to 36.5%, as the UK economy grew faster than the accumulation of new borrowing", and, "…, in 2007 we had the second lowest level of debt in the G7
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