Claim: Labour inherited a £22 billion "black hole" in 2024, while the Conservative-led government inherited a £158 billion "black hole" in 2010.
Fact-check: Labour's '£22 billion black hole' figure is not directly comparable to the deficit in 2010 - Full Fact
Verdict: this is a misleading comparison, as the two figures measure different things. the £158 billion figure is an estimate of the deficit in 2010—in 2023/24 this was estimated to stand at £122 billion. the £22 billion figure meanwhile is what labour claims was the forecast overspend in in-year departmental spending in 2024/25.
Organisation: Full Fact
Author: Hannah Smith
Date published: 2024-11-29T00:00:00