Rachel Reeves poses on the doorstep of 11 Downing Street ahead of the Budget.

The government’s financial watchdog accidentally published the contents of Rachel Reeves’ Budget more than half an hour before she delivered it.

In an astonishing mistake, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) put its analysis of the chancellor’s tax and spending changes on its website.

The extraordinary gaffe is a major humiliation for Reeves, who was denied the opportunity to announce her plans first to the House of Commons.

The 200-page document confirmed that the two-child benefit cap is being lifted, and that income tax thresholds are being frozen – despite Reeves saying last year that she would not do so.

It means there will be 780,000 more basic-rate, 920,000 more higher-rate and 4,000 more additional-rate income tax payers in 2029/30.

Council tax will be increased on homes worth more than £2 million, while fuel duty is being frozen for another year.

Overall, taxes are being increased by £26 billion in 2029/30, taking the tax burden to its highest........

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