"This is totally surreal. Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch have gone through the motions of a Prime Minister's Question session before the Budget. In response to questions from the Conservative leader, the prime minister said that it's "literally 25 minutes" until the measures will be unveiled. Not so. The Budget is already out there, thanks to the Office for Budget Responsibility, which has published the details in error."
"Its economic forecast appeared on its website unexpectedly early. It caused a buzz in the Commons chamber, as Treasury Minister Torsten Bell - who was sitting behind Rachel Reeves - passed his mobile phone to the chancellor presumably to notify her of the news. Reeves had also been looking at her own phone, and notes were being passed down the row of cabinet ministers. Multiple Conservative MPs are going through the OBR documents and graphs on their phones."
"We apologise for this technical error and have initiated an investigation into how this happened. "We will be reporting to our oversight board, the Treasury, and the Commons Treasury Committee on how this happened, and we will make sure this does not happen again. "Our economic and fiscal outlook and supporting documents will be released when the Chancellor has finished her speech.""
Prime Minister's Questions proceeded while the prime minister said the Budget would be unveiled in 'literally 25 minutes.' The Budget documents were already accessible after the Office for Budget Responsibility published its economic forecast on its website unexpectedly early. Cabinet ministers and Conservative MPs viewed the OBR documents and graphs on phones; Treasury Minister Torsten Bell passed his mobile to Chancellor Rachel Reeves. The OBR apologised, called the release a 'technical error', removed the material and launched an investigation, pledging to report to its oversight board, the Treasury and the Commons Treasury Committee. The report appears to confirm ending the two-child benefit cap, extending income-tax threshold freezes for three years and a mileage-based charge on electric vehicles.
Read at www.bbc.com
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