Overview
- About an hour before Rachel Reeves delivered the Budget, the Office for Budget Responsibility accidentally published parts of its analysis, which was described in the chamber as unprecedented.
- Nusrat Ghani criticised extensive pre‑Budget briefings and said the pattern, alongside the premature release, fell short of what the House expects, urging announcements to be made to MPs first.
- The OBR apologised, attributed the publication to a technical error, removed the document, and said it has opened an investigation with reports to its oversight board, the Treasury and the Commons Treasury Committee.
- Conservative shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride called the leak outrageous, said it may constitute a criminal act and demanded a criminal inquiry.
- The leaked OBR document indicated tax rises rising to £26 billion by 2029–30 via extended threshold freezes and other measures, along with revised GDP growth forecasts.