UK government borrowing came in higher than forecast in October, according to the first snapshot of the public finances since the budget.

The deficit totaled £17.4 billion ($22 billion), the Office for National Statistics said Thursday, far higher than the £13.3 billion predicted by economists and the second-highest shortfall for the month on record. It left borrowing in the first seven months of the fiscal year at £96.6 billion -- £1.1 billion more than in the same period of 2023-24.