UK public finances face twin threat from Brexit and downturn, says OBR

Budget watchdog warns country is in worse shape to withstand recession than on the eve of 2007 financial crash

Britain's public finances are in worse shape to withstand a recession than they were on the eve of the 2007 financial crash a decade ago and face the twin threat of a fresh downturn and Brexit, the Treasury's independent forecaster has warned.

The Office for Budget Responsibility - the UK's fiscal watchdog - said another recession was inevitable at some point and that Theresa May's failure to win a parliamentary majority in last month's election left the public finances more vulnerable to being blown off course than they were in 2007.

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