This is the astonishing moment Rachel Reeves realised the Budget had been leaked early after her Labour colleague Torsten Bell handed her his phone in Parliament.
The Chancellor is thought to have been unaware of the mistake by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) mistake until she found out the bad news from Mr Bell.
Video footage broadcast live at 12.11pm showed Ms Reeves anxiously looking at the phone while Sir Keir Starmer was speaking during Prime Minister’s Questions.
Ms Reeves was then seen writing something down while looking at Treasury minister James Murray’s phone as Sir Keir continued to address the House of Commons.
Moments later the Chancellor and Mr Bell were spotted exchanging notes, with the Parliamentary Secretary for the Treasury telling Ms Reeves: ‘It’s fine, it’s fine.’
The report – which is usually released after a Budget statement – included growth forecasts, the extent of tax rises and the decision to lift the two-child cap on benefits.
As she began speaking, Ms Reeves said the unprecedented pre-Budget publication of the document was ‘deeply disappointing and a serious error on their part’.
Just minutes earlier, the Chancellor’s second Budget was revealed ahead of time by the unexpected early publication of the Budget watchdog’s analysis.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is handed Torsten Bell’s phone as she learns about the Budget leak
Ms Reeves can be seen reading the bad news as Prime Minister’s Questions continues today
Ms Reeves can be seen looking at Torsten Bell’s phone while Sir Keir Starmer is speaking
The report laid out a series of tax rises to fill a black hole in the public finances, and that the UK’s economy will grow more slowly than predicted over the next four years.
The OBR also revealed Ms Reeves will introduce measures aimed at helping those struggling with living costs, including an end to the two-child limit on benefits.
The document is not meant to be released until after the Chancellor has delivered her Budget in the House of Commons.
But it was published on the OBR website early, the latest in a series of leaks and early disclosures ahead of the statement. The OBR apologised, blaming a ‘technical error’.
Shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride said it was an ‘utterly outrageous’ leak of market-sensitive information which could constitute a criminal act.
An OBR statement said: ‘A link to our economic and fiscal outlook document went live on our website too early this morning. It has been removed. We apologise for this technical error and have initiated an investigation into how this happened.
‘We will be reporting to our oversight board, the Treasury and the Commons Treasury Committee on how this happened, and we will make sure this does not happen again.
‘Our economic and fiscal outlook and supporting documents will be released when the Chancellor has finished her speech.’
