Keir Starmer is set to face Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday amid continued Budget questions a week after Chancellor Rachel Reeves set out her plans.
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) suggested on Tuesday that the chancellor’s messaging in the weeks leading up to the statement was “not inconsistent” with the analysis it shared with her.
However, Labour ministers have denied any suggestion that Reeves misled voters, with chief secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones stating that there was a “funding gap” that needed to be addressed.
The UK Government says an OBR forecast showing a £4.2bn surplus against Reeves’ borrowing rules did not take into account policies like the welfare reform U-turn or the abolition of the two-child benefit cap.
PMQs also comes just a couple of days after OBR chairman Richard Hughes resigned from his post over the unprecedented Budget leak error.
The Budget announcement was overshadowed by a leak that saw the watchdog publish its assessment of the economy and the Government’s plans hours before the chancellor’s speech.
The OBR apologised, blaming a “technical error”, and Mr Hughes said an internal investigation had been launched to “get to the fundamental causes and make sure it doesn’t happen again”.
On Monday, the watchdog said its leadership must take “immediate steps to change completely” how it publishes its twice-yearly reports, which contain sensitive forecasts, after it mistakenly released an analysis of the Budget early.
When news of Hughes’ resignation broke, the treasury minister thanked him “for his dedication to public service”.
The Conservatives warned the UK Government against scapegoating the OBR for the Treasury’s handling of the Budget, and Tory leader Kemi Badenoch accused the chancellor of using Hughes as a “human shield”.
Starmer could face questions about both the chancellor’s Budget and about Mr Hughes’ resignation.
PMQs will be broadcast from the House of Commons at midday on Wednesday.
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