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It was impossible because it would have taken 11 weeks.

Spokesman for Kwasi Kwarteng to journalist Adam Bienkov

23 September 2022

Facts

Kwarteng was asked why he hadn't commissioned an Office for Budget Responsibility report to be released with his September “fiscal event.” He replied that “It was impossible because it would have taken 11 weeks.” 

In a letter dated 29th September OBR chief Richard Hughes wrote to the Ian Blackford of the SNP making plain that “We sent a draft economic and fiscal forecast to the new Chancellor on 6 September, his first day in office. We offered, at the time, to update that forecast…”

Mr Hughes goes on to say “we were not commissioned to produce an updated forecast alongside the Chancellor’s Growth Plan on 23 September, although we would have been in a position to do so to a standard that satisfied the legal requirements of the Charter for Budget Responsibility”

In normal circumstances the OBR require at least 10 weeks to make a report, but we now know they had offered to advise the Treasury much faster than that.

Verdict

Kwasi Kwarteng’s spokesman was misleading Adam Bienkov. 

We emailed Kwasi Kwarteng’s office offering him the chance to respond. The email was received, but no reply. 

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