Britain's public finances deteriorated sharply in December, putting them on track for their worst year since records began after World War II, while the number of Britons out of work approached two million, it has emerged. Sign up to our free newsletters Email: Get the best updates straight to your inbox: Daily newsletter (the day’s top headlines, sent every morning) From the editors (a curated selection of stories, sent every Saturday) Please select at least one mailing list. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.