Budget Secrecy Shattered by Premature OBR Leak
In a major breach of protocol, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) accidentally published its entire economic forecast online more than 40 minutes before Chancellor Rachel Reeves was due to deliver her Budget speech. The unprecedented leak, which occurred on Thursday 27 November 2025, compromised the traditional secrecy of the Budget announcement and triggered an immediate political and security investigation.
Former Cyber Security Chief Brought In to Lead Probe
The embattled watchdog has called in a former top intelligence official to uncover how the blunder happened. Ciaran Martin, the former chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre, will provide expert input into the investigation. The probe will be overseen by the OBR's own oversight board, signalling the seriousness with which the leak is being treated.
The OBR has publicly apologised for the incident, attributing it to a "technical error." However, Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride suggested in the House of Commons that there might be more to the story, stating, "It is utterly outrageous that this has happened and this leak may constitute a criminal act."
Political Fallout and Leadership Under Scrutiny
The leak caused immediate disruption within Parliament. Deputy Commons speaker Nusrat Ghani had already criticised the extensive pre-Budget media briefings, and the early release of the document forced Chancellor Reeves to add a last-minute rebuke to her speech.
OBR chairman Richard Hughes has publicly apologised to the Chancellor and stated he will step down if requested by both Reeves and the Treasury Committee. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme, "I regret the deep disruption that it caused. We've initiated an investigation into what happened... It will report to the treasury and the Treasury committee of parliament and identify the actions we take to ensure that it doesn't happen again."
This incident marks a significant embarrassment for the independent fiscal watchdog and raises serious questions about the security surrounding one of the government's most important annual set-pieces.
