Personal insolvencies jump to nine-year high in England and Wales

Experts blame insecure employment, universal credit delays and Brexit uncertainty

The number of people becoming financially insolvent in England and Wales jumped to a nine-year high in 2019 as the burden of increasing debt levels took its toll on low- and middle-income households.

There were 122,181 personal insolvencies last year, an increase of 6% on 2018, and the highest annual total since 2010, according to figures from the government's Insolvency Service.