Reeves accused of misleading country over 'black hole' in public finances

Reeves is under fresh scrutiny as the OBR's forecast timeline faces questions.

Rachel Reeves is in the firing line for “misleading the country” after the chair of the fiscal watchdog poured cold water over claims there was a black hole in public finances.

In a new letter addressed to the chair of the Treasury select committee, the OBR chair Richard Hughes said he was taking the “unusual step” to publish the evolution of the watchdog’s economic forecasts.

Hughes said this was due to the “unusual volume of speculation,” which came after a wide variety of rogue briefings from the Treasury.

The watchdog’s chair said as of 31 October, the Chancellor had maintained a fiscal buffer of £4.2bn, even despite the productivity downgrade forecast.

This comes despite Reeves taking to Downing Street