Budget leak was the only leak Reeves wasn't responsible for in this shambles

"A pre-budget shambles on this scale doesn't happen of its own accord. It takes a lot of hard work to create this much chaos. Imagine going to the trouble of calling an early morning press conference to signal you were planning to increase income tax by 2p, only to decide against it the following week. You've shown you can't be entirely trusted to keep your word while getting none of the fiscal benefits. A headless chicken is more sentient than that."

"The mayhem continued right up to the wire. Just as Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves entered the chamber for prime minister's questions, it was revealed that the Office for Budget Responsibility AKA the Office for Budget Irresponsibility had accidentally posted the entire budget on its website. Somewhere in the OBR, some bored junior, had just pressed Send before skipping off to an early lunch. No one had told him it was time sensitive. What's 90 minutes between friends?"

"Rachel looked ashen as if she was being filmed for a hostage video and reached for her phone. Texting Help to Torsten Bell, the junior Treasury minister who was seated behind her. Torsten likes to think he is the go-to man for any crisis. No one rates Torsten higher than Torston. He only answers to the name Genius. Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Torsten dashed off some advice which"

Rachel Reeves intentionally allowed pre-budget missteps to surface weeks before the formal budget, creating repeated own goals to manage expectations. She sent mixed signals, including an early announcement about increasing income tax by 2p then reversing the plan, undermining trust. The Office for Budget Responsibility accidentally posted the full budget online shortly before prime minister's questions, prompting panic. Reeves appeared visibly distressed and texted junior Treasury minister Torsten Bell for help; Bell quickly offered advice amid the scramble. The strategy sought to make the budget appear stable on the official day despite earlier chaos.

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