Budget Leaks and Leadership Speculation

Sir Keir Starmer has insisted that none of the budget leaks and leadership speculation came from him or his team. He promised to "get to the bottom" of the briefings and take action against those responsible.

Denial of Involvement

The Prime Minister disclosed that a leak to the Financial Times had revealed a proposal to Parliament’s Liaison Committee 13 days before the Budget was published. He stated that the income tax increase had been canceled and that this was "unacceptable". He told the committee that "it was not a briefing signed by me or any of my ministers or officials".

Briefings Against Cabinet Members

Sir Keir was asked about demands from certain cabinet members seeking to replace him as Prime Minister. He said that "none of this comes from me or is promoted by me". He also stated that briefings against Cabinet ministers were "completely unacceptable" and that he had made this clear to his staff and the Cabinet repeatedly.

Investigation and Action

The Prime Minister said he had put in place "a number of procedures" to give him reassurance that ministers, his team, and his staff were not leaking information. He had "no reason to believe" that anyone in Number 10 leaked the plan to stop raising income tax. Other budget details were also leaked, including a per-mile fee for electric vehicles and a tourist tax.

Commitment to Stopping Leaks

Sir Keir said he would wait for an investigation into the budget leaks to be completed but promised to "get to the bottom of these leaks". He said he would "take action" against individuals responsible and that although it was "very difficult" to find out the source, he had previously shown how he had "acted accordingly" during his time as Prime Minister, opposition leader, and director of public prosecutions.

Previous Incidents

Last week, Chancellor Rachel Reeves faced similar questioning before the Treasury Select Committee. She said the leaks were "very damaging" and that "we cannot allow something like this to happen again". A review of Treasury processes was underway, and she had commissioned the National Center for Cybersecurity to conduct a forensic examination of IT systems after the Office for Budget Responsibility’s assessment of the budget was made available before it was announced.