Fears grow over impact of ONS data reliability on Rachel Reeves’s budget

Economists say the data problems risk the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, making tax and spending ‘missteps’. Photograph: Getty Images

Deep problems at the UK’s statistics agency with the quality of its data are piling pressure on officials in the run-up to the autumn budget, sources have told the Guardian.

Staff at the Treasury and its independent spending watchdog are struggling to get a clear picture of the economy because of troubles at the Office for National Statistics (ONS) with producing reliable numbers.