The Latest Breaking News from the Office for Budget Responsibility

Richard Hughes criticises lack of information from government about public spending plans

With polls predicting electoral disaster for Tories, chancellor says ‘economy would be more successful if we had more competitive taxes’

The UK chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, as announced a raft of changes to the tax and benefit system as part of the government’s autumn statement. They included:

National Insurance cut; pensions and benefits increased. But is that enough to distract from sluggish growth and the rising cost of living?

The starting gun for the next general election campaign may have already been fired, but today’s Autumn Statement represents an intensification of hostilities. The Chancellor took some of the fiscal headroom handed to him by the Office for Budget Responsibility and sought to give voters — not least Tory backbenchers…

Watch as the Office for Budget Responsibility holds a press conference following Jeremy Hunt’s autumn statement.

The Chancellor said high employment taxes ‘disincentivise hard work’.

Party loyalty would force Conservatives to vote against plan for fiscal responsibility

OBR says it underestimated strength and persistence of inflation as well as impact of high energy prices