Government borrowing lower than expected in December, figures show

George Osborne's hopes of meeting deficit target in April given slight boost, but analysts say finances are not yet on track

A smaller than expected shortfall in government finances in December has given a slight boost to George Osborne's hopes of meeting his deficit target at the end of the financial year.

Borrowing of 7.5bn last month was lower than the 10.1bn expected, but analysts warned that this level failed to put the government's finances back on track to meet the April target.

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