Sir Keir Starmer is reportedly gearing up to blame Nigel Farage and Brexit for Britain’s expected downturn in productivity at the Budget, as part of a new attack on the Reform UK leader.
Treasury officials are bracing for the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) to lower its forecasts for productivity growth – a downgrade that is likely to create an extra shortfall of around £20bn at November’s Budget. The shortfall is expected to be filled by a swathe of tax rises.
