UK mortgage lending hits record amid stamp duty rush

Consumers repaying credit card debts and manufacturing booms as Covid restrictions ease, new figures show

Mortgage borrowing in the UK has reached its highest level since modern records began as buyers rushed to beat the now-extended stamp duty holiday deadline.

Bank of England figures showed that Rishi Sunak's decision in the budget to extend the tax break until June did not dampen a burst of activity in the housing market in March.

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