Former chancellor challenges watchdog's timing ahead of Labour's first Budget

Jeremy Hunt sent a hard-hitting letter to the Budget watchdog questioning its non-partisan status just before Labourʼs first Budget announcement: the timing of their report about a supposed 22-billion-pound gap left by the previous government raises eyebrows

The former finance chief believes that the Office for Budget Responsibilityʼs (OBR) choice to release findings alongside Rachel Reeves Budget this wednesday isnt aligned with fair political practice. His main point: such timing could only be seen as taking sides

Sir Keir Starmer plans to talk about tough money choices tomorrow — he will point to whats different now compared to past transitions (like those in the late 90s and 2010). The Labour leader aims to show how his team would handle both weak growth and public-service issues

Former Bank chief Lord King (who once was Reeves boss) brings up some real-world math: the planned changes will affect everyoneʼs wallet — no matter how you define working people. The ex-governor suggests that companies might think twice about new jobs or pay raises

The Confederation of British Industry did some number-crunching about inheritance rules changes:

• Around 347‚000 family businesses might close
• One-third of family companies could cut staff
• Tax-free business asset transfers might end

The education secretary Bridget Phillipson got stuck trying to explain who counts as a “working person“ when asked about a small-business owner making 13k yearly. She just kept saying its someone who gets most money from daily work (which didnt really clear things up)