Nov 30 (Reuters) – British finance minister Rachel Reeves on Sunday denied she mislead the public over official forecasts ahead of this month’s budget, saying she had been honest about the need to build up a bigger fiscal buffer.

In a speech on November 4, Reeves appeared to lay the groundwork to break the Labour Party’s promise to voters before the 2024 election and raise income tax rates, citing a “weaker than previously thought” productivity performance.

In a letter published on Friday, the head of Britain’s budget watchdog said it had previously provided the government with forecasts showing that its productivity downgrade was offset by increases in real wages and inflation – which Reeves did not mention.

The confidential forecasts provided to Reeves by the Office for Budget Respons

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