Soaring welfare bill pushes national debt to almost £3tn

Britain’s soaring welfare bill forced John Healey to borrow more to balance the books last month.The gap between tax receipts and spending unexpectedly resulted in a £1.8bn deficit in July, taking the national debt to within a whisker of £3tn.Economists had predicted the Government would borrow nothing and blamed the deficit on the rising welfare bill.Figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) this morning show total debt rose to £2.985tn in July.Benefit payments also climbed by 7.2pc, or £2bn, to £30bn last month.The Chancellor now faces another tax-raising Budget in October, even as strong receipts from self-employed workers provide some respite.The ONS also said Mr Healey spent £7.7bn on debt interest in July alone, almost 10pc higher than a year ago.Ashley Webb, at C