OBR chair Richard Hughes has been forced out after a clash with the Treasury. An accidental Budget leak and a timeline he released appeared to contradict the Chancellor’s account of a funding gap. Relations collapsed after the watchdog declined to give full advance sight of its inquiry.

Reeves rejects claims she misused OBR forecasts, denying she misled voters about tax rises and the fiscal gap. The PM will defend the Budget and emphasise growth as MPs consider inquiries into whether figures were overstated.

New polling shows Reeves’s Budget is unpopular overall, even as voters back measures like higher gambling taxes, a rail fare freeze and a minimum wage rise. Most expect to be poorer afterwards, and opinion is split on ending the two‑child benefits cap.

Ministers have dropped Labour’s pledge to grant day‑one rights to claim unfair dismissal. The move, criticised by some Labour MPs but backed by business groups, marks a retreat from the party’s workers’ rights package and raises questions over the government’s reform agenda.