MPs warn Budget watchdog ‘should not be blamed’ for difficult decisions

Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey departs after a weekly government cabinet meeting at Downing Street - (Getty)

Politicians ought not to target the UK’s budget watchdog over tough choices caused by strained public finances, a prominent committee of MPs has warned.

With chancellor John Healey’s Budget taking place next month, the Commons Treasury Committee insisted that the independence of the Office for Budget Responsibility must be safeguarded.