Office for Budget Responsibility Chair Resigns Amid Public Finance Leak Inquiry, Chancellor Under Pressure
Richard Hughes, chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), has stepped down after a damning internal inquiry into the leak that threw Rachel Reeves's budget into chaos, with Hughes taking "full responsibility" for the watchdog's failure to handle sensitive information. The OBR's processes for protecting sensitive information were found to be inadequate, allowing market-sensitive report details to be accessed 43 times before Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng's speech.
The incident has sparked a fifth day of recriminations over the budget, with Keir Starmer failing to express confidence in Hughes. The Labour leader had criticized the OBR for the "serious error" and called it a breach of market-sensitive information and a "massive discourtesy" to parliament.
Opposition leaders, including Kemi Badenoch and Pete Wishart, have seized on the controversy to attack the Chancellor's decisions over the budget. While some Conservatives have defended Kwarteng, many are still under pressure following claims that there was a hole in public finances to justify tax rises, which has been denied by the government.
Labour officials have also questioned why Reeves refused to take responsibility for her handling of the budget, with Wishart accusing her of not restoring confidence after the leak. The situation is further complicated by the fact that Starmer's fate may be inextricably linked with Kwarteng's, raising questions about whether he will follow suit.
As the fallout from the OBR leak continues to reverberate through Westminster, many are left wondering what other skeletons are hidden in the government's economic plans. With significant challenges ahead and a tumultuous budget speech under his belt, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak must navigate the complex web of recriminations and blame-shifting that has engulfed his team.
The Chancellor has been told he will face contact with former Chancellors over previous fiscal events, which raises questions about accountability in government circles. It remains to be seen whether this development will draw a line under the tensions between the OBR and the government, or if more controversy is yet to come.
Richard Hughes, chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), has stepped down after a damning internal inquiry into the leak that threw Rachel Reeves's budget into chaos, with Hughes taking "full responsibility" for the watchdog's failure to handle sensitive information. The OBR's processes for protecting sensitive information were found to be inadequate, allowing market-sensitive report details to be accessed 43 times before Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng's speech.
The incident has sparked a fifth day of recriminations over the budget, with Keir Starmer failing to express confidence in Hughes. The Labour leader had criticized the OBR for the "serious error" and called it a breach of market-sensitive information and a "massive discourtesy" to parliament.
Opposition leaders, including Kemi Badenoch and Pete Wishart, have seized on the controversy to attack the Chancellor's decisions over the budget. While some Conservatives have defended Kwarteng, many are still under pressure following claims that there was a hole in public finances to justify tax rises, which has been denied by the government.
Labour officials have also questioned why Reeves refused to take responsibility for her handling of the budget, with Wishart accusing her of not restoring confidence after the leak. The situation is further complicated by the fact that Starmer's fate may be inextricably linked with Kwarteng's, raising questions about whether he will follow suit.
As the fallout from the OBR leak continues to reverberate through Westminster, many are left wondering what other skeletons are hidden in the government's economic plans. With significant challenges ahead and a tumultuous budget speech under his belt, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak must navigate the complex web of recriminations and blame-shifting that has engulfed his team.
The Chancellor has been told he will face contact with former Chancellors over previous fiscal events, which raises questions about accountability in government circles. It remains to be seen whether this development will draw a line under the tensions between the OBR and the government, or if more controversy is yet to come.
... So like, I was thinking that Richard Hughes should just stay on and sort out the whole thing, you know? 
But then again, he's taking full responsibility for the mess, which is pretty cool of him, right? 
Like, it's not his fault or anything, but still, someone has to take the hit. And now Rachel Reeves is all "oh no, I shouldn't have handled that one wrong"... idk, man 
... Maybe she should just own up to it and try to fix things? 
But on the other hand, if everyone's so quick to blame her, then maybe she's got a point about not getting enough credit for trying to keep the budget in check. 
And what about Kwarteng? Should he be held accountable too, or is it all just on Reeves and Hughes? 
... I mean, who messes up like that? It's not just about Hughes taking responsibility, it's about how this happened in the first place. The fact that there were 43 unauthorized accesses to the report is just crazy! And now the whole budget speech is being questioned, it's a big mess. I'm starting to think that some folks are more concerned with protecting their own backsides than doing what's right for the country 
. I guess what it comes down to is that these politicians need to stop playing games and actually do some real work.
. I'm all about transparency and honesty, but sometimes you need to take a step back and assess what's really going on. Can't have our leaders running around like headless chickens, making promises they can't keep 
.
The fact that the OBR's processes were so lax is just mind-boggling. How could they let those report details get out like that? It's a wonder nobody got arrested or anything 
. I feel for Kwasi Kwarteng, he's already got a lot on his plate. All these recriminations and criticism from both sides... it's like they're trying to pin the blame on each other 
. Can't say I'm confident in the OBR's security anymore. Maybe this is an opportunity for Rishi Sunak to re-evaluate their processes? Only time'll tell, I guess 
. And now, everyone's turning the heat on Chancellor Kwarteng and Labour leader Keir Starmer. It's getting pretty intense in Westminster right now 
.
. I mean, who knew that tax rises were actually needed? Not me, that's for sure 
. It's all very confusing.
. Can we just get some real answers for once? 
I mean, come on, 43 times?! That's like playing roulette with national finances 
. And what really gets me is that they're still trying to downplay the leak as just an "error" 
.
This whole thing with Richard Hughes and the budget leak is super worrying 
The fact that sensitive info was easily accessible 43 times 
I'm all for a good debate 
instead of tearing each other apart? 
It's time to work together to fix our economy 
.
what's next? another high-profile resignation? 
can't wait for rishi sunak to address this and show us that he's got his act together 
. one thing 4 sure tho, rishi sunak's got his hands full tryna keep everything under control 
, you've got the Chancellor under pressure because of his own making. I mean, it's not just him, it's the whole team. how can they expect people to trust them when they can't even keep sensitive information safe? and now there's talk of a hole in public finances... it's like they're digging their own grave 
️. I'm all for accountability, but this is just ridiculous. if you're going to leak stuff, at least have the decency to take responsibility for it. instead, everyone's trying to shift the blame and make excuses. Rishi Sunak needs to get his act together, pronto!