Whitehall departments under-spent their annual budgets by £20bn in 2008/09, potentially undermining plans to clarify the UK's debt repayment plan. The Treasury confirmed the underspend on 16 July, revealing departments had carried over £20bn under the ‘end year flexibility' regime, which potentially allows them to spend the cash throughout 2009/10. However, the International Monetary Fund wants the UK Government to bring forward its plan to cut the country's spiralling debt, which currently stands at £175bn, and would prefer ministers to restrain unplanned spending. Referring to the cash carried over by departments, Robert Chote, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said the Treasury ‘probably won't want them to spend it'. However, a source at Number 10 said prime minister Gordon Brown was keen to provide departments with as much spending flexibility as possible, prior to the general election next year.