Mon, 01 Dec 2025

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 OBR head resigns over Budget day publishing error

The government's official forecaster inadvertently published a crucial Budget document early.

* Richard Hughes has resigned as chairman of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) after a key document was published early, causing chaos on Budget day.
* He took "full responsibility" for the error in his resignation letter and said the OBR could quickly regain confidence if it implemented recommendations from an investigation into the mistake.
* The report found that the error had "inflicted heavy damage on the OBR's reputation" and was "seriously disruptive" to the chancellor, but was inadvertent.
* Chancellor Rachel Reeves thanked Hughes for his public service and said she would respond to the report in due course.
* Sir Keir Starmer defended Reeves against accusations of misleading people over the state of the public finances, saying she had committed to cutting borrowing which meant increasing revenue.
* Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch accused Starmer and Reeves of trying to shift blame for Budget chaos onto others.
* Paul Johnson, former director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said he was not surprised by Hughes' resignation and that it was a shame for him and the OBR.
  >>