Evening Standard sorry over Budget leak

 

The Evening Standard has apologised after it published details of the Budget online before George Osborne delivered his statement.

 

The newspaper's front page outlined announcements such as the cancellation of a fuel duty rise and a rise in the personal tax allowance to £10,000. Budget decisions are supposed to be secret before the chancellor speaks. The newspaper apologised for what it called a "very serious mistake" and removed the online image.

 

Evening Standard political correspondent Joe Murphy said the newspaper's front page had been published on Twitter in error. "We are so sorry to the House of Commons, to the Speaker and to the chancellor for what happened. We shall be apologising to them," Mr Murphy tweeted.

 

BBC political correspondent Tim Reid says Labour leader Ed Miliband is reading a photocopy of newspaper's front page while Mr Osborne is speaking. The front page of the newspaper says that the chancellor is to scrap the annual alcohol duty escalator and will also cut the price of a pint of beer by 1p.

 

The newspaper says Mr Osborne will set out growth forecasts showing the UK economy will grow by 0.6% this year. The government will also borrow £61.5bn more than planned over six years, with national debt rising to 85% of GDP, the newspaper says.

 

According to the Standard, the personal tax allowance will rise to £10,000 by April 2014. In 1947 Chancellor Hugh Dalton resigned after leaking details of a Budget to journalists.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-21861941

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