What figures did Rory Stewart give on the UK tax burden and debt interest since 2019?

Rory Stewart, who left government in 2019, said taxes then took about 33% of GDP and now take 36.3%, heading for 38.5%, the highest since the war. Public spending rose from 38% to 44% of GDP, and debt interest went from 3.7% of the budget to 6%, heading for 7%. He counted £118 billion of tax rises, nearly £50 billion from the Conservatives and £65 to 70 billion from Rachel Reeves, yet the public does not feel better services because the money covers past commitments.

• Stewart said health has grown from about a quarter of government spending in the Blair years to 43%.
• His proposed way out was growth: cheaper roads and nuclear power as in France, Sweden's startup record and putting UK pension funds to work like Canada's and Australia's.

▸In their words

“The only way out of that trilemma is growth.” Rory Stewart · at 22:44 — open in the transcript →

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on The Rest Is Politics (2026-10-28). Read the whole episode summary →

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