The Financial Times has led the news of the resignation of the head of the Office for Budget Responsibility after the early budget leaks. Richard Hughes’ departure followed a review which found “the same failings that had allowed early access to the Spring Statement” and left concerns that “other budgets could also have been compromised”.
For The Daily Telegraph, this is “Reeves stands by OBR chief’s silence”. Richard Hughes will no longer appear before the Treasury committee following his resignation, “protecting Ms Reeves from further criticism when she is already under pressure to resign”. In further Budget news, council homes worth more than £2m will not face a new property tax introduced by the Chancellor, it reports.
The iPaper also runs the story of the OBR chair’s exit in its top slot, though says he was “ousted after contradicting the Chancellor”. Relations between the financial watchdog and the Treasury were at “an all-time low” when Richard Hughes decided to publish a timeline which challenged Reeves’s claims about “the difficulties he faced in balancing the books”.
The Times headline said the OBR chair had resigned after being “publicly rebuked” by the Prime Minister. A review of the budget’s early release found it was “the worst failure” in the office’s history. Singer Kylie Minogue stood out wearing Jonathan Anderson at the Fashion Awards, where the designer won the top prize.
The Guardian says Richard Hughes took “full responsibility” for the budget leaks as soon as he left the OBR, while Sir Keir Starmer “remarkably failed to express confidence in the senior economist”. Labor MP Tulip Siddiqui is also on the front pages after she was sentenced to two years in prison in Bangladesh after being tried in absentia on corruption charges. He said the process was “flawed and ridiculous from start to finish”.
The Daily Mail has called ex-OBR chair Richard Hughes “guilty of Reeves’s budget lies” and said the government has “no shame”. It reads that Hughes “revealed the truth about her financial ‘black hole’,” referring to the funding gap she indicated needed filling.
The Independent also leads on the “budget black hole”, but with Sir Keir Starmer’s denial that “we did not mislead anyone on this”. Now, the “Labour briefing controversy” – over what Rachel Reeves and Sir Keir discussed with ministers about the improved OBR forecast – is “deep”, says Indy.
The Daily Express focuses on the speech given by the Prime Minister on Monday where he mentioned the impact of Brexit on the UK economy. It said Sir Keir Starmer “pledged to appease Brussels as he struggled to defend his criticized chancellor”.
The Daily Mirror demands “justice for the lost victims” of the Post Office Horizon scandal. Police can now lay charges of corporate murder in cases where employees take their own lives after being accused of theft due to faulty IT systems, reports Mirror.
A former England and Premier League footballer has been arrested over attempted rape, The Sun says. The newspaper says a man who is reported to have played for England in the 2010s has been bailed pending further inquiries after being arrested at Stansted Airport following allegations by a former teammate.
There are “tears to cheer” for “humble hero” Kevin Sinfield, writes the Daily Star. The newspaper says the former rugby league player – who is currently on an ultramarathon challenge – has raised more than £10million for motor neurone disease.
