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OBR calls in cyber expert over botched release of Budget analysis
The early leak disrupted the Budget announcement and caused brief market volatility; OBR chairman Richard Hughes called it a 'technical error' and enlisted Ciaran Martin for a full investigation.
- On Wednesday, the OBR's Economic and Fiscal Outlook was accessible online about 40 minutes before Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the Budget after BBC journalists retrieved the unpublished PDF by altering a previous URL.
- OBR officials blamed a 'technical error' as the document was unpublished on its website, while Patrick Burgess said the incident "didn't appear to be a cyber-attack" and involved file-naming mistakes.
- Five minutes earlier, Reuters began sending one-line flashes summarising the report while BBC coverage said the document disclosed the measures journalists had been speculating about, triggering brief market volatility in UK gilt yields and currency markets.
- The OBR has drafted in Professor Ciaran Martin, and Richard Hughes said he was 'personally mortified' and said the results of a 'full investigation' would be reported to MPs, stating `We need to get to the bottom of what exactly happened`.
- Historical precedent shows that past Budget leaks and Conservative MPs circulating pages prompted Mel Stride to demand an inquiry as the OBR faces a crisis of credibility.
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources8
Leaning Left1Leaning Right1Center2Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Center
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources are Center
50% Center
L 25%
C 50%
R 25%
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