Picture courtesy of House of Commons | via BBC

 

Richard Hughes, the chairman of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), has resigned following a significant error on Budget day when a key document was published prematurely. Hughes admitted "full responsibility" for the mistake, marking it as the worst in the OBR's 15-year history. The incident has added to the controversy surrounding this year's Budget, with accusations against Chancellor Rachel Reeves of misleading the public.

 

The OBR inadvertently released a report detailing new Budget measures before the Chancellor's official announcement, evaluating the UK's economic health independently of the government. These included a freeze on income tax and National Insurance thresholds for three years. A report on Monday concluded that the early release damaged the OBR's reputation and disrupted the Chancellor's announcements, although it acknowledged that the error was not intentional.

 

Hughes expressed hope in his resignation letter to both Chancellor Reeves and Dame Meg Hillier, Chair of the Treasury Select Committee, that the OBR could recover quickly. He stated that his decision to step down was to help the organisation move past the incident. Hughes was scheduled to appear before the Treasury Select Committee to discuss the Budget forecasts but will no longer do so.

 

Chancellor Reeves thanked Hughes for his contributions over the past five years. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer defended Reeves against claims of misleading the public, attributing her statements to the need to raise revenue. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch criticised Reeves, suggesting that Hughes was being used as a scapegoat for the Budget chaos.

 

Paul Johnson, the former director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, praised Hughes' effective leadership in spite of the error, but he also acknowledged that the circumstances warranted the resignation. Hughes, recently renewed for a second term, took the role in October 2020 during the pandemic and previously held significant positions at the Treasury and IMF.

 

The investigation into the leak, led by former National Cyber Security Centre chief Ciaran Martin, found no foreign interference or cybercrime involvement. It revealed a hidden URL allowed 43 accesses from 32 devices, and weaknesses in OBR’s publication systems were blamed. The mistakes stemmed from software unsuitable for such sensitive data, with errors in a WordPress plug-in and file directory permissions.

 

The Treasury, acknowledging the OBR's report, has stated that a ministerial response will follow in due course, reported the BBC.

 

 

 

Key Takeaways:

 

Richard Hughes resigns as OBR chairman after early document publication.
The error caused chaos for the Budget and damaged OBR’s reputation.
Investigation found technical weaknesses, no foreign interference involved.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from BBC 2025-12-02

 

 

 

Good news - accountability and a response with honourable action. I wonder if we will ever see the same phenomenum with our dear Friends over the Atlantic, in the howler strewn confusion of this Trump Administration?

While the budget leak was embarrassing, in reality he has been sacked for revealing that Reeves told bare faced lies about the "black hole" that never existed.

 

OBR chair reveals Chancellor knew of fiscal buffer before ‘black hole’ warning | Scottish Financial News

 

https://www.scottishfinancialnews.com/articles/obr-chair-reveals-chancellor-knew-of-fiscal-buffer-before-black-hole-warning

 

4 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

While the budget leak was embarrassing, in reality he has been sacked for revealing that Reeves told bare faced lies about the "black hole" that never existed.

 

OBR chair reveals Chancellor knew of fiscal buffer before ‘black hole’ warning | Scottish Financial News

 

https://www.scottishfinancialnews.com/articles/obr-chair-reveals-chancellor-knew-of-fiscal-buffer-before-black-hole-warning

 

Hogwash.

 

He resigned following the mess on his watch.

 

A Tory appointee, perhaps deliberately undermining the Government.

 

Time to scrap the OBR, it’s not fit for purpose.

5 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Hogwash.

 

He resigned following the mess on his watch.

 

A Tory appointee, perhaps deliberately undermining the Government.

 

 

I have to admit, the budget leak made me suspicious and then when he came out and revealed the egregious lies from Rachel from accounts it did appear that the OBR had limited support for the lying Labour government.

 

5 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

 

Time to scrap the OBR, it’s not fit for purpose.

 

Actually they have done a great job revealing the lies of Labour, in particular those of Rachel from accounts (with her fake CV and fake chess championship) in particular. 

 

I can see why the OBR's honesty makes you so uncomfortable though. 😀

3 hours ago, JonnyF said:

 

 

I have to admit, the budget leak made me suspicious and then when he came out and revealed the egregious lies from Rachel from accounts it did appear that the OBR had limited support for the lying Labour government.

 

 

Actually they have done a great job revealing the lies of Labour, in particular those of Rachel from accounts (with her fake CV and fake chess championship) in particular. 

 

I can see why the OBR's honesty makes you so uncomfortable though. 😀

 

For once we agree. I've always thought that the OBR was fair and impartial 

 

https://obr.uk/forecasts-in-depth/the-economy-forecast/brexit-analysis/#assumptions

 

Resignation? In Thailand? Dream on.