Government spending actually went up during that period. See chart 1: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/public-spending-statistics-release-may-2022/publi

Government spending actually went up during that period. See chart 1: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/public-spending-statistics-release-may-2022/public-spending-statistics-may-2022 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/public-spending-sta... You can try and redefine austerity into whatever best fits your politics if you like.