Britain’s economic watchdog confronted senior government officials over a series of chaotic leaks and briefings about the Budget ahead of Rachel Reeves’ formal announcement, it has emerged, as it was forced to deny being “at war” with the Treasury.
Officials at the Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR) told the Treasury committee on Tuesday that leaks over the fiscal statement – which included proposals over mansion tax, income tax, ISAs and pensions, as well as briefings about the state of the public finances – were “unhelpful”.
