UK Public Borrowing Grew In April

U.K. public borrowing increased unexpectedly in April, official data showed Tuesday, hitting its highest level for the month since 2014.

Britain's public deficit stood at 10.4 billion pounds ($13.5 billion) last month, the Office for National Statistics said. This was noticeably higher than the GBP9.2 billion seen in April 2016, and above the forecast of analysts, who expected the gap to shrink to GBP9 billion.

The figures come as Britons prepare to cast votes in the June 8 general election, called by Prime Minister Theresa May who is seeking to strengthen her parliamentary majority ahead of Brexit negotiations.

The ruling Conservative Party, which according to polls is likely to be reelected, has pledged in its manifesto to balance the budget by 2025.

-Write to Wiktor Szary at Wiktor.Szary@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 23, 2017 04:49 ET (08:49 GMT)