I wonder how long this one will last?

PFI is not counted towards National Debt, it is what is termed as "off the books debt" because PFI contracts are not paid by the government, instead they are paid as part of the individual budgets of the particular Hospital Trust, Education Authority, Police Force, Fire Authority etc.

The very best way to reduce debt as a percentage of GDP is to aim for growth, plan for growth, and to actually have a plan for growth.

Growth automatically reduces the debt to GDP ratio without doing anything else, without cuts to budgets, without cutting public spending, and any economist will tell you the same.

Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling understood this, and I think that Keir Starmer "gets it" too, going by his relentless promotion for growth.

Now look at some evidence : The recession of 2008-2009, the policies of Gordon Brown brought the recession to an end in third quarter of 2009 BEFORE the coalition government came to power. Growth returned and in the first quarter of 2010 ( still before the coalition came to power ), growth accelerated from 0.4 to 0.6 and then to 0.7.

But then, along came the Conservatives, ably helped by the Lib Dems, dramatic cuts were implemented and growth immediately fell back, and then growth stalled, and twice we went to the very edge of another recession.

Evidence speaks for itself, the coalition governments policies strangled growth

Finally, I am not particularly a Labour supporter, I know that there is not going to be a Lib Dem government, or a Reform government, or a Green government, just as there will not be an Alba government. The next government will be either Conservative or Labour.

The main reason I will vote Labour is because I do not want any more years of Conservative government, therefore my ONLY choice where I live is to vote Labour.

Not sure why you sent me that Tam?..

PFI is part of the `real` national debt , rather than the official national debt that dramatically underestimates taxpayers liabilities. Labour supporters may wish to portray PFI debt as not real , or hope creative accounting hides payments and keeps them off public sector balance sheets , but the bills still have to be paid by the taxpayer.

As we know from scotland , the labour parties disastrous PFI legacy left taxpayers paying debts 5 times the capital cost of building these infrastructure projects would have cost in the first place. 

This so called invisible debt has crippled local government across scotland and England  , 17 and 14 years respectively since they were booted out of power in Edinburgh and London.

Some businesses can easily and readilly afford to pay more, mostly because of the way they do business, been unfair competitors to high street businesses. Also, many of the multi nationals are paying unbelievably small percentages of tax on a "tax to turnover ratio", they are paying less than most small and medium sized businesses.

The Tory way has failed, time to try a different way now, time for them to go

Cutting public services and cutting spending the way the Tories have done has been a mistake and a spectacular failure.

We have never taxed turnover - we tax profits..

Which is why Amazon are registered in Luxemburg, and within a few months of registering in Luxemburg secured a confidential agreement with the country's tax authorities. Wink wink. 

If it’s legal then it’s not fiddling .