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Dismal stats put lie to Tory economic miracle myth

DISMAL official figures exposed Tory economic boasts as a sham yesterday with Britain’s debts growing by £95 billion last year and government finances flatlining.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that Chancellor George Osborne was forced to borrow £97.15bn last year — just £4bn less than in 2013.

And despite Prime Minister David Cameron’s claims this week that the Tory “economic plan is working” flat tax figures from low-paid workers actually saw government borrowing higher year-on-year in two quarters.

The deficit was down slightly from £75.05bn to £69.96bn, while total government debts rose from £1.38 trillion to £1.48tn in 2014.

Left economics think thank Leap spokesman Andrew Fisher said: “What this data shows is that despite all the pain caused by austerity, the deficit has barely closed at all.

“While growth has returned, people are still worse off, and the benefits are going to a tiny elite at the top.”

He predicted: “Osborne’s trickle-up economy won’t balance the books and will lead the economy back into crisis.”

Normally Twitter-happy Mr Cameron was conspicuously silent on the ONS figures — a major blow to the Tories’ central focus at the 2015 election.

Only 24 hours earlier he had goaded Labour leader Ed Miliband at Prime Minister’s questions, boasting: “We are the party that is putting the country back to work, Labour is the party that would put it all at risk.”

But Labour hit back yesterday.

Shadow Treasury secretary Chris Leslie said Mr Osborne had “broken his promise” to balance the books and was set to borrow over £200bn more than planned.

“His failure on the deficit is because falling living standards over the last five years have led to tax revenues falling short.”

Mr Leslie warned that worse was to come if the Conservatives were able to implement their “risky and extreme plan for even deeper spending cuts.”

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