Public sector net debt during each prime minister's tenure
Every prime minister since 1991, ranked by how the public sector net debt changed from their first day in office. Politare shows what happened during a tenure; it does not claim the office-holder caused it.
| # | Prime minister | In office | Total | Per year | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lab Gordon Brown | 27 Jun 2007 – 11 May 2010 | +29.6 pp May 2007 → Apr 2010 | +10.1 pp/yr | |
| 2 | Con David Cameron | 11 May 2010 – 13 Jul 2016 | +16.3 pp Apr 2010 → Jun 2016 | +2.6 pp/yr | |
| 3 | Con Boris Johnson | 24 Jul 2019 – 6 Sep 2022 | +12.5 pp Jun 2019 → Aug 2022 | +3.9 pp/yr | |
| 4 | Con Rishi Sunak | 25 Oct 2022 – 5 Jul 2024 | +1.8 pp Sep 2022 → Jun 2024 | +1.0 pp/yr | |
| 5 | Lab Keir Starmer | 5 Jul 2024 – 20 Jul 2026 | +0.1 pp Jun 2024 → Jun 2026 | 0.0 pp/yr | |
| 6 | Con Theresa May | 13 Jul 2016 – 24 Jul 2019 | −0.5 pp Jun 2016 → Jun 2019 | −0.2 pp/yr | |
| 7 | Lab Tony Blair | 2 May 1997 – 27 Jun 2007 | −2.0 pp Apr 1997 → May 2007 | −0.2 pp/yr |
Sorted by total, highest first. Every row is indexed to the last month complete before the first day in office ("from" marks a start that had to move because that period had no data, or because the period cut it); Levels are per cent changes, rates are differences in pp; "per year" compounds levels and divides rates. Tenures with under 12 months, or under three observations, are left out. % of GDP · ONS public sector finances (HF6X), net debt excluding public sector banks, not seasonally adjusted · United Kingdom data · as of Sep 2026.