The chairman of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has resigned to allow the watchdog to “quickly move on” from the leak of the Budget before the chancellor delivered it in the Commons last week.
Richard Hughes’ resignation follows a damning report published on Monday into the mistaken release of the Economic and Fiscal Outlook almost an hour before Rachel Reeves began to present the Budget.
The investigation concluded that the OBR’s leadership must take “immediate steps to change completely” how it publishes reports containing sensitive forecasts.
In a letter sent to Ms Reeves and the chair of the Treasury Select Committee, Mr Hughes said: “I am certain the OBR can quickly regain and restore the confidence and esteem that it has earned through 15 years of rigorous, independent, economic analysis.
“But I also need to play my part in enabling the organisation that I have loved leading for the past five years to quickly move on from this regrettable incident.”
In response to the resignation, Treasury minister James Murray thanked Mr Hughes for his “dedication to public service”.
Key Points
- OBR chairman Richard Hughes resigns
- Reeves thanks OBR chief following resignation
- Badenoch says Reeves used OBR chair as 'human shield'
- Who is Richard Hughes? The OBR Chief who just resigned
- PM didn't ask Richard Hughes to resign, it is understood
Ex-Labour councillor appears in court over ‘Westminster honeytrap’
23:00 , Bryony Gooch
Ex-Labour councillor appears in court over ‘Westminster honeytrap’
Wes Streeting condemns resident doctors' strike over Christmas
22:00 , Bryony GoochWes Streeting has condemned the resident doctors’ December strike announcement as a “cynical attempt to wreck Christmas”.
Responding to the British Medical Association’s (BMA) announcement that medics will walk out from December 17 to December 22, the Health Secretary said: “The BMA have clearly chosen to strike when it will cause maximum disruption, causing untold anxiety.
“Patients and NHS staff deserve better than this cynical attempt to wreck Christmas.
“After a 28.9 per cent pay rise, the Government offered to create more jobs and put money back in resident doctors’ pockets. The BMA rejected it out of hand, refused to put the offer to its members, blocking a better deal for doctors.
“Now, without a single conversation with the Government, they’re threatening more strikes at the busiest time of the year.”
Comment:That’s it – the calamity chancellor has survived her Budget storm
21:00 , Bryony GoochThe chancellor has shown herself to be hapless, desperately unpopular and in danger of dragging down the entire government – but she won’t now be forced out of office, thanks to a few inconvenient truths, says Chris Blackhurst
That’s it – the calamity chancellor has survived her Budget storm
OBR must 'learn the lessons from this catastrophic error' say Lib Dems
20:30 , Bryony GoochResponding to the resignation of the head of the OBR Richard Hughes, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson Daisy Cooper said: "Richard Hughes was a dedicated public servant who has rightly taken responsibility for a failure on his watch.
"We now need to ensure the OBR learns the lessons from this catastrophic error, and protect it from those who want to undermine independent scrutiny of the government’s economic decisions."
Watch: Starmer vows to 'reform' welfare state that is 'trapping people' in poverty
20:00 , Bryony GoochA timeline of the OBR leak
19:30 , Bryony GoochThe Office for Budget Responsibility has published a timeline of how it mistakenly released an analysis of the Budget early last week.
Here is what happened according to the report published on Monday:
- At 5.10am on November 26, the OBR’s website host told staff that the site was ready to handle the extra traffic expected for Budget day.
- Just six minutes later, someone tried to open the Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO) PDF link before it was uploaded, the first of 44 failed attempts from seven different computers over the next few hours.
- From 9am, the web developer built the draft webpages, but did not upload any documents.
- At 11.02am, the EFO PDF was emailed to the web developer, along with 24 other files that were due to be published.
- From 11.30am, the developer began uploading the files into the draft area of the website, which was understood to be not publicly accessible.
- But at 11.35am, the first successful request for the EFO PDF was made by a computer that had already attempted to access the link 32 times that morning.
- By 12.07pm, there were 43 successful requests for the EFO document by 32 different computers.
- At 11.41am, a Reuters news alert read: “UK OBR ECONOMIC AND FISCAL OUTLOOK: BUDGET TAX RISES RAISE 26.1 BLN STG BY 2029-30”.
- Two minutes later, an OBR staff member was first made aware that the news agency was flashing extensive forecast details.
- Between 11.50 and 11.53am, EFO images and details spread online, senior OBR and Treasury officials discussed the breach with the latter pointing out that the accessible PDF link and OBR staff and the web developer struggled to remove the PDF under heavy traffic. The web developer renamed the EFO PDF but it briefly appeared on the Internet Archive making it publicly visible, and a minute later it was removed from the website while the OBR chair and staff drafted a statement confirming the website was the source of the error.
- When Chancellor Rachel Reeves stood up to deliver the Budget at 12.34pm, she opened with a reference to the premature release of the EFO.
- At 1.38pm, her statement ended and the EFO and supporting documents were published, with the online PDF updated at 4.29pm to include a correction slip approved by the House of Commons Journal Office.
James Moore: If Reeves was a CEO she’d have been fired by now
19:00 , Bryony GoochThe opposition leader is right to say that the chancellor would never get away with this if she was in the corporate world. The people in regulated functions I’ve talked to are spitting tacks and justifiably so, says James Moore.
If Rachel Reeves was CEO of a company she’d have been fired by now
Commons Treasury Committee chairwoman thanks OBR chief following resignation
18:00 , Bryony GoochCommons Treasury Committee chairwoman Dame Meg Hillier offered her thanks to Richard Hughes following his resignation as chairman of the Office for Budget Responsibility.
Dame Meg said: “On behalf of the Committee, I want to thank Richard Hughes for approaching his work with dedication throughout his time as chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility – often in trying circumstances.
“I commend his decision to take full responsibility for the incident and I wish him well for the future.”
Separately, her committee confirmed Mr Hughes would no longer be attending its evidence session with the OBR on Tuesday.
Pictured: OBR Chief's resignation letter
17:45 , Bryony Gooch
Reeves thanks OBR chief following resignation
17:31 , Bryony GoochRachel Reeves has thanked Richard Hughes “for his many years of public service” following his resignation as chairman of the Office for Budget Responsibility.
The Chancellor said: “I want to thank Richard Hughes for his public service and for leading the Office for Budget Responsibility over the past five years and for his many years of public service.
“This Government is committed to protecting the independence of the OBR and the integrity of our fiscal framework and institutions.”
The Treasury said it would begin the recruitment process for Mr Hughes’s replacement “in the coming weeks”.
Recap: This was the second time someone accessed Budget report early as weaknesses were 'pre-existing'
17:30 , Bryony GoochProfessor Ciaran Martin, former head of the NCSC, expressed concerns within the investigative report that the weaknesses that caused the leak were “pre-existing” and this was the second time the EFO had been accessed prematurely.
“It is of concern that Professor Martin finds that it is very likely that the weaknesses that caused the premature accessing of the November 2025 EFO were pre-existing.
“Indeed, it appears that the March 2025 EFO was accessed prematurely on one occasion, though there is no evidence of any activity being undertaken as a result of that access, and he concludes the most likely explanation is benign.”
Labour MP welcomes chair resignation: 'leadership matters'
17:15 , Bryony GoochA Labour MP has welcomed the resignation of the chair of the OBR, saying “leadership matters”.
Andrew Pakes, the MP for Peterborough, told the Commons: “The leak of the OBR report makes deeply worrying reading, so I welcome the resignation of the chair of the OBR because leadership matters on these issues.
“It turns out that the leak was not as unprecedented as we thought last week. As we have seen, they have leaked earlier documents and they may need to go back further in their look at it.
“This could have led to speculation and costs running into millions for us.”
Badenoch says Reeves used OBR chair as 'human shield'
17:05 , Bryony GoochKemi Badenoch has accused Rachel Reeves of using the chairman of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) as a “human shield”.
Responding to the resignation of Richard Hughes over the leak of the OBR’s forecasts ahead of the Budget, the Tory leader said in a statement on X: “Someone has resigned as a result of the budget chaos… but it isn’t Rachel Reeves.
“The Chancellor is trying to use the Chair of the OBR as her human shield. But I will not let her.
“Why is it ALWAYS someone else’s fault with Starmer and Reeves?”
Who is Richard Hughes? The OBR Chief who just resigned
17:00 , Bryony GoochAs Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR) chair Richard Hughes has just resigned, here’s what we know about him.
He led the OBR for five years after he first joined HM Treasury in 2000.
The Harvard and Oxford educated economist worked on a range of domestic and international macroeconomic issues and led the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review during his time at the treasury.
Following a brief secondment to the French ministry of Finance in 2007, he joined the International Monetary Fund in 2008 where he headed the fiscal affairs department’s public finance division and worked on fiscal reform in a range of advanced, emerging, and developing countries.
Richard returned to HM Treasury between 2016 and 2019 as Director of Fiscal Policy where he oversaw the government’s fiscal strategy, debt management, and treasury operations and served as acting chief economist.
Treasury minister thanks Richard Hughes for 'dedication to public service'
16:57 , Bryony GoochTreasury minister James Murray has thanked Richard Hughes “for his dedication to public service” after he resigned as chairman of the Office for Budget Responsibility.
He continued: “I understand events are moving quickly, and I understand from messages passed to me, there has been an event, the chair of the OBR has resigned, is what I understand from messages passed to me.”
His comment came following a question from Labour MP Laurence Turner, who asked whether Mr Murray agreed that the chair of the OBR “cannot credibly lead” the investigation work.
Mr Turner’s comment was met with shouts of “he’s gone” from the Conservative benches.
PM didn't ask Richard Hughes to resign, it is understood
16:48 , Bryony GoochReporting from Millie Cooke, The Independent’s political correspondent.
Sir Keir Starmer didn't ask Richard Hughes to resign after a damning report into the unprecedented leak of last week’s Budget, it is understood.
Ahead of Mr Hughes' resignation, a Downing Street spokesperson refused to say whether or not the PM had confidence in the OBR chief, saying: "Clearly, the conclusions of this report are incredibly serious and will now consider the implications fully."
Tories accuse Labour of scapegoating OBR
16:45 , Bryony GoochThe Conservatives have warned the Government against scapegoating the OBR for the Treasury’s handling of the Budget.
Tory shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride told the Commons: “Can I also seek the immediate reassurance that (Treasury minister James Murray’s) concluding comment, and I quote, ‘we will respond to this matter with the seriousness it demands,’ will not include scapegoating the OBR to distract from the serious questions surrounding the handling of the Budget by the Chancellor, ministers, the Treasury and Number 10?”
Mr Stride also questioned where the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, was, saying it was a “matter of profound regret” for her not to appear before the Commons on Monday.
“The Chancellor’s credibility is in tatters, and to the long list of her failings in respect to these matters should be added that of disrespecting this House,” he said.
Mr Murray responded that the Chancellor was at an investment summit in Wales and could not attend.
He added: “I was unclear from the shadow Chancellor’s comments at the beginning of his speech just then, whether, like us, he values the role of the OBR in the budget setting process. We value its independence, we value its integrity, and that is why we take what happened last Wednesday with the utmost seriousness, and we are determined to pursue it.”
Richard Hughes resignation - the full statement
16:43 , Bryony GoochHere is the full resignation letter written by OBR chairman Richard Hughes as he steps down following a major leak last week.
Dear Chancellor and Dame Meg,
I am writing to you following the publication of the report of the investigation into the November 2025 Economic and fiscal outlook publication error. The OBR plays a vital role in the UK’s fiscal policymaking, and it is critical that the Government, Parliament, and the public continue to have confidence in the work that it does. The inadvertent early dissemination of our Economic and fiscal outlook on 26 November was a technical but serious error.
The report the OBR has submitted to the Treasury and the Treasury Committee of the House of Commons sets out how and why it happened and identifies the further actions the Office will take to ensure that it never happens again. I am grateful to Baroness Sarah Hogg and Dame Susan Rice for overseeing the report, to Professor Ciaran Martin for providing expert input, and to the joint OBR-Treasury team that produced it so expeditiously.
By implementing the recommendations in this report, I am certain the OBR can quickly regain and restore the confidence and esteem that it has earned through 15 years of rigorous, independent, economic analysis.
But I also need to play my part in enabling the organisation that I have loved leading for the past five years to quickly move on from this regrettable incident. I have, therefore, decided it is in the best interest of the OBR for me to resign as its Chair and take full responsibility to the shortcomings identified in the report.
I would like to thank my predecessor Robert Chote, my fellow Budget Responsibility Committee Members past and present David Miles, Tom Josephs, Charlie Bean, and Andy King, Chief of Staff Laura Gardiner, and all of the staff of the OBR for being such wonderful colleagues these past five years. I will follow the OBR’s forward progress with great interest and much pride.
Breaking: OBR chairman resigns
16:38 , Alex RossOffice for Budget Responsibility (OBR) chairman Richard Hughes has resigned after the Budget was leaked before Rachel Reeves’ speech on Wednesday.
Mr Hughes said he was resigning to allow the OBR to “quickly move on from this regrettable incident”.
His resignation follows publication of a report that described the leak as “the worst failure in the 15-year history of the OBR” and strongly criticised the watchdog’s processes for protecting sensitive information.
In a letter to the Chancellor and the chairwoman of the Commons Treasury Committee, Mr Hughes said he took “full responsibility” for “the shortcomings identified in the report”.
Mr Hughes has served as chairman of the OBR since 2020 and was reappointed to the job for a second five-year term in July this year.
Watch: Jonathan Gullis insists ‘not a cat’s chance in hell’ of defecting to Reform in 2024 clip
16:21 , Bryony GoochGovernment backs 'deeper forensic investigation' into previous OBR disclosures
16:10 , Bryony GoochTreasury minister James Murray told the Commons the Government backs a “deeper forensic investigation” into previous Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) disclosures.
“I can confirm the Treasury will be making contact with previous chancellors to make them aware of the developments that relate to previous fiscal events,” Mr Murray said.
He later added: “The Government will be working in conjunction with a National Cyber Security Centre to take forward the recommendation that a forensic examination of other fiscal events is carried out, although let me specifically note for the House that the report finds no evidence of hostile cyber activity.
“In addition, the report says that they could not in the time available carry out a deeper forensic examination of other recent Economic and Fiscal Outlook events, and we recommend that such an exercise is, with expert support, urgently carried out.
“We will make sure that work is carried out urgently.”
Treasury minister 'concerned' to learn OBR error may have seen early release of previous forecasts
16:06 , Bryony GoochJames Murray told MPs he was “very concerned” to learn that the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) error may have seen the early release of previous forecasts.
Quoting from the watchdog’s investigation, Mr Murray told the Commons: “‘It is very likely that the weaknesses that caused the premature access of the November 2025 Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO) were pre-existing.
“‘Indeed, it appears that the March 2025 EFO was accessed prematurely.'”
Turning to the leak’s impact on the markets, Treasury minister Mr Murray later added: “That market sensitive information have been prematurely accessible to a small group of market participants is extremely concerning.
“That it might have been the case on more than one occasion is even more severe. We do not know at this stage the extent to which market behaviour may have been affected on this or other occasions as a result of information being available early.
“But I do want to share one further bit of information from the report with the House today – on the morning of the Budget, the first IP address to successfully access the EFO had made 32 prior attempts that day, starting at around 5am.
“Such a volume of requests implies that the person attempting to access the document had every confidence that persistence would lead to success at some point, and this unfortunately leads us to consider whether the reason they tried so persistently to access the EFO is because they have been successful at a previous fiscal event.”
OBR leak a 'fundamental breach' of watchdog's responsibility
16:00 , Bryony GoochThe early release of the Office for Budget Responsibility’s Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO) was a “fundamental breach” of the watchdog’s responsibility, a Treasury minister has said.
James Murray told the Commons: “Last Wednesday, before the Chancellor (Rachel Reeves) had begun to give her Budget speech, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) published their entire EFO online.
“Let me be clear, this is a very serious breach of highly sensitive information.
“It is a fundamental breach of the OBR’s responsibility. It is a discourtesy to this House, and it should never have happened.”
Government will work closely with NCSC
15:53 , Bryony GoochChief secretary to the treasury James Murray has said the government will work in conjunction with the National Cyber Security Center to take forward the recommendations laid out following a breach of the OBR.
“We will make sure that work is carried out urgently.
“We will look at wider questions of the systemic risk that this incident has uncovered, including the report's conclusion that the OBR information security arrangements should have been regularly re- examined and assured by the management of the OBR.
“This government is committed to the independence of the OBR and its role at the heart of economic and fiscal policy.”
Government 'taking OBR breach seriously'
15:50 , Bryony GoochChief secretary to the treasury James Murray has said the government is taking the cyber breach that led Budget details to be leaked last week very seriously.
“As a government, we take this seriously to make sure the OBR never allows this to happen again.
“The report notes that common and fairly basic protections prevent early access, including passwords and random and URLs when not used.”
Chief secretary to treasury stands by Ms Reeves
15:46 , Bryony GoochChief secretary to the treasury James Murray has stood by chancellor Rachel Reeves in his ministerial statement about the forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility.
He said Ms Reeves was “clear on her priorities at the budget, which was to cut NHS waiting lists, to cut the cost of living and to cut our debt and borrowing the budget that she delivered last week delivered on those priorities”.
Three former Tory MPs defect to Farage’s Reform
15:44 , Bryony Gooch
Government to make a statement on OBR forecasts now
15:44 , Bryony GoochThe Government will make a statement to Parliament on forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury James Murray will make the ministerial statement to the House of Commons now. Stay tuned for more information.
Business Secretary: 'Reeves is a dedicated public servant'
15:32 , Bryony GoochAsked whether Rachel Reeves misled the public in the lead-up to the Budget, business secretary Peter Kyle described the Chancellor as a “dedicated” public servant.
He said: “Rachel was fully focused on the interests of the economy and the people who live in every corner of the United Kingdom.
“She is a dedicated, professional and determined public servant, she inherited, even according to Tony Blair, she inherited the most difficult financial situation since the Second World War.
“She is healing the broken economy we inherited, and at the same time trying to create new opportunities that are fit for the moment that we are living in, and for that, I for one, am very grateful.”
Two errors linked to WordPress led to early release of the EFO
15:16 , Bryony GoochThe Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) investigation found the early release of its Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO) before last Wednesday’s Budget was caused by two errors linked to the WordPress publishing site it used.
The report into the incident said that it has wrongly assumed that, while it knew web addresses for its files follow a pattern, it assumed “the protections provided” by WordPress “would ensure it could not be accessed”.
It also said the Download Monitor plug-in for WordPress, which bypassed the need for authentication, was “not understood” within the OBR and should not have been used.
The report added: “In short, the technical causes of the premature access were two mutually contributory configuration errors, one in the configuration and use of Download Monitor, a third-party WordPress plug-in, and one in the configuration of WordPress and the underlying server.”
As the OBR reveals details of its investigation, Reeves takes to the stage in Wales
15:08 , Bryony GoochChancellor Rachel Reeves has taken to the stage to address the Wales Investment Conference.
The event is the most significant hosted by Wales since the 2014 Nato summit – with more than 300 senior business leaders attending from 31 countries.
She is attending alongside her Cabinet colleague Peter Kyle, the Business Secretary.
Meanwhile, the Office of Budget Responsibility has revealed what led to it leaking details of Ms Reeves’ budget last week.
Who runs the Office of Budget Responsibility?
15:05 , Bryony GoochThe Office of Budget Responsibility revealed leadership are to blame for the leak which saw details from the Budget revealed half an hour before Chancellor Rachel Reeves was set to announce them.
The OBR is led by the three members of the Budget Responsibility Committee (BRC) – currently the Chair Richard Hughes, Professor David Miles and Tom Josephs.
They have executive responsibility for the core functions of the OBR. The OBR’s governance, risk management and internal control are overseen by its Oversight Board, which consists of the three members of the BRC plus the non-executive members, currently Baroness Sarah Hogg and Dame Susan Rice, according to the report.
Second time someone accessed Budget report early as weaknesses were 'pre-existing'
15:00 , Bryony GoochProfessor Ciaran Martin, former head of the NCSC, expressed concerns within the investigative report that the weaknesses that caused the leak were “pre-existing” and this was the second time the EFO had been accessed prematurely.
“It is of concern that Professor Martin finds that it is very likely that the weaknesses that caused the premature accessing of the November 2025 EFO were pre-existing.
“Indeed, it appears that the March 2025 EFO was accessed prematurely on one occasion, though there is no evidence of any activity being undertaken as a result of that access, and he concludes the most likely explanation is benign.”
OBR leadership must change how time sensitive documents are published
14:57 , Bryony GoochThe report has found that leadership of the Office of Budget Responsibility must take “immediate steps” to change the how the time-sensitive documents are published.
“The leadership of the OBR must take immediate steps to change completely the publication arrangements for the two important and time-sensitive documents containing the results of its biannual forecasts that it publishes in a normal year, and review arrangements for all other publications.”
OBR leak was not caused by 'hostile cyber activity'
14:46 , Bryony GoochDetailed reports from the security operations centre confirm the absence of any hostile cyber activity, or any malfeasance from within the OBR, according to the report from the Office of Budget Responsibility.
Stay tuned for the latest updates.
OBR calls leak 'worst failure in 15 year history'
14:44 , Bryony GoochThe Office of Budget Responsibility has released its report into leaked details from the Budget last week.
The report has called the leak the “worst failure in the 15-year history of the OBR. It was seriously disruptive to the Chancellor who had every right to expect that the EFO would not be publicly available until she sat down at the end of her Budget speech.”
OBR to imminently publish analysis of Budget
14:18 , Bryony GoochThe Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) will imminently publish a report into how it published its analysis of the Budget early.
The watchdog has said it would publish the report on the investigation into the November 2025 Economic and fiscal outlook (EFO) publication error at 2.30pm.
Stay tuned for its findings.
Analysis: Starmer’s priorities have changed. He needs to be honest about why
14:15 , Bryony GoochThe prime minister’s claim that he always wanted to scrap the two-child benefit cap will cast doubt on his attempt to reassure voters - and his own cabinet colleagues - that he and the chancellor told the truth about tax rises, writes political editor David Maddox.
Read more here:
Starmer’s priorities have changed. He needs to be honest about why
Watch: Starmer denies misleading Cabinet and the public over state of Britain's public finances
14:00 , Bryony GoochIn pictures: Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer making his speech at the Coin Street Neighbourhood Centre in London
13:47 , Bryony Gooch
Government to make a statement on OBR forecasts at 3.30pm
13:26 , Bryony GoochThe Government will make a statement to Parliament on forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury James Murray will make the ministerial statement to the House of Commons, scheduled to take place after 3.30pm.
Labour refuges to recognise corruption judgment against Tulip Siddiq
13:15 , Bryony GoochThe Labour Party has said it does not recognise the corruption judgment against MP Tulip Siddiq after a Bangladeshi court sentenced her to two years in prison.
A Labour Party spokesperson said: “The Labour Party and all our elected representatives take the rule of law incredibly seriously and will always fulfil our legal responsibilities.
“As has been reported, highly regarded senior legal professionals have highlighted that Tulip Siddiq has not had access to a fair legal process in this case and has never been informed of the details of the charges against her.
“This is despite repeated requests made to the Bangladeshi authorities through her legal team.
“Anyone facing any charge should always be afforded the right to make legal representations when allegations are made against them.
“Given that has not happened in this case, we cannot recognise this judgment.”
Watch: Starmer vows to 'reform' welfare state that is 'trapping people' in poverty
13:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneSwinney: Reeves ‘very clearly’ misled the public ahead of the Budget
12:48 , Nicole Wootton-CaneJohn Swinney has said Rachel Reeves has “very clearly” misled the public over the state of the UK’s finances ahead of the Budget.
The first minister said the chancellor had described the fiscal situation as being “much graver than it actually was” in the run-up to last week’s Budget.
Sir Keir Starmer and Ms Reeves have denied misleading the public, saying they did initially believe they may need to break their manifesto pledge not to raise the basic rates of income tax.
Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana dropped as Your Party leaders
12:30 , Nicole Wootton-CaneJeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana will be dropped as Your Party leaders after members voted that a “collective” headed by a non-MP should make major decisions about its future.
A second option, for a traditional single leader, which would have seen Mr Corbyn and Ms Sultana battle it out to head the new left-wing party they founded earlier this year, was also rejected by members.
Instead, by a small margin of 51.6 to 48.4 per cent, they voted that the party should, for its first two years, embrace a "collective” member-led leadership model, not led by an MP.
The Independent’s Whitehall editor Kate Devlin has more below...
Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana dropped as Your Party leaders
Comment: Why Your Party will end up as no one’s party
12:15 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Three former Tory MPs defect to Farage’s Reform
12:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneThree former Tory MPs have defected to Reform UK this morning, according to a source within Nigel Farage’s party.
Jonathan Gullis, who represented Stoke-on-Trent North, Lia Nici, who served as Grimsby MP, and former Bolton West Tory MP Chris Green have all joined “on their own accord online”, a Reform party source confirmed to PA.
You can read more below:
OBR set to publish report into Budget leak this afternoon
11:45 , Nicole Wootton-CaneThe Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) will publish a report this afternoon into how it published its analysis of the Budget early.
The watchdog said it would publish the report on the investigation into the November 2025 Economic and fiscal outlook (EFO) publication error at 14:30.
'The cabinet are briefed on the morning of the Budget': Reeves insists she did not mislead ministers
11:30 , Nicole Wootton-CaneChancellor Rachel Reeves has responded to claims that she misled cabinet ministers about the Budget.
Members of Sir Keir Starmer’s top team have reportedly accused him and Ms Reeves of misleading the cabinet, with The Times quoting an unnamed minister as describing the handling of the Budget as “a disaster from start to finish”.
“At no point were the cabinet told about the reality of the OBR forecasts,” they told the newspaper.
Speaking to BBC Wales at the Wales Investment Summit, the chancellor said: “You would never expect the prime minister and chancellor to go through all the detailed numbers.
“The cabinet are briefed on the morning of the Budget on the Budget numbers.
“Of course, we go through things that affect individual government departments, but the whole information of the Budget is not supposed to be provided until the chancellor delivers the Budget.
“Obviously, this time, it was leaked early, but not by the Treasury.”
Sir Keir Starmer ends his speech
11:18 , Nicole Wootton-CaneThe prime minister has ended his speech in London this morning.
Broadly, he used his time to defend Rachel Reeves’ Budget and insisted his government had not misled the public over economic forecasts.
He also spoke passionately about his “moral mission” to cut child poverty and help young people get into work and education.
Another feature of the speech was Brexit and Britain’s relationship with the EU. Sir Keir said the economy had been “significantly hurt” by the Brexit deal and that we must keep moving towards a closer relationship with the EU.
OBR made 'serious error' releasing Budget early, PM says
11:09 , Nicole Wootton-CaneSir Keir Starmer has denied he is “very angry” at the timing of the OBR’s productivity downgrade.
He adds he is “bemused” why it was not done at the end of the last government, saying he has been forced to “pick up the tab of the last government’s failure”.
He says he is “very supportive of the OBR” but that the early release of the Budget was a “serious error”.
But he insists he is “confident” Labour will beat the OBR’s economic forecasts.
Starmer denies misleading Cabinet and the public over state of Britain's public finances
11:01 , Joe MiddletonThe Independent’s political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:
Sir Keir Starmer has denied misleading his Cabinet over the state of Britain's public finances ahead of the Budget amid allegations the chancellor misled the public over the size of the fiscal black hole she faced.
The prime minister said: “There was no misleading and I simply don’t accept, and I was receiving the numbers, that being told that the OBR productivity review means you’ve got £16bn less than you would otherwise had shows you’ve got an easy starting point.“Yes of course all the other figures have to be taken into account, but we started the process with significantly less than we would otherwise have had.
“That productivity review or a review like that hasn’t been done I think for 15 years, it’s not annual exercise.“I’m not sure why it wasn’t done at the end of the last government if I’m honest about it, because that would have seemed a sensible time to do it. But it was done.”
