England’s deficit was £8.74 billion in the 12 months to March 2017, much less per person than in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

Government efforts to reduce the budget deficit since the financial crisis have been delivered almost exclusively by England, which is on track to balance its books this year, while the devolved administrations continue to borrow heavily, according to official figures.

Regional public finance data produced by the Office for National Statistics revealed that England ran a deficit of only £8.74 billion in the year to March 2017, equivalent to £158 a person. On the same basis, borrowing was £2,651 a person in Scotland, £4,251 in Wales and £5,014 in Northern Ireland.

Analysed as a share of “gross value added”, a GDP equivalent that excludes taxes and subsidies, England’s deficit was only 0.6 per cent last year. By comparison, Scotland’s deficit as a share of its