Britain's independent fiscal watchdog has described the premature leak of its budget report as the "worst failure" in its 15-year history, placing blame on its own leadership and inadequate IT systems.
Investigation Uncovers Systemic Failures
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) confirmed that its crucial Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO) document was made accessible online nearly an hour before Chancellor Rachel Reeves began her budget speech last Wednesday. An investigation led by OBR chief of staff Laura Gardiner and former National Cyber Security Centre head Ciaran Martin found the error was due to a long-standing weakness in procedures.
The report concluded that pressure on a small team to publish the substantial document and associated data immediately after the Chancellor sat down led to the use of a pre-publication facility. This created a vulnerability that had not been properly secured over many years. The inquiry's terms of reference stated the OBR had "inadvertently made it possible" to access the November 2025 EFO too early.
A Pattern of Premature Access Emerges
In a further damaging revelation, the OBR admitted a similar breach occurred earlier this year. Its March report, published alongside the spring statement, was also accessed prematurely—this time five minutes into the Chancellor's speech after being uploaded online ahead of schedule.
The watchdog stated that the Treasury and Cabinet Office must share responsibility for maintaining IT systems that lacked the security needed to prevent unregulated external access. The leaked EFO contained all key announcements on taxes, growth, and policy, leading to anger and mockery among MPs in Parliament.
Leadership Accepts Ultimate Responsibility
OBR chair Richard Hughes, who initially suggested an "external person" may have accessed the link, later wrote to Chancellor Reeves and Treasury committee chair Meg Hillier to apologise, saying he was "mortified." He offered to resign if he lost their confidence.
The investigation report was unequivocal: "The ultimate responsibility for the circumstances in which this vulnerability occurred and was then exposed rests, over the years, with the leadership of the OBR." The body, created in 2010 by then-Chancellor George Osborne to provide independent forecasts, has pledged to audit and improve its systems.
Separately, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has denied misleading the public before the budget, insisting that raising taxes to a record level was necessary to ensure economic stability.
