Sir Keir Starmer faced a robust questioning at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, with the Budget and controversial justice reforms dominating the session. The Prime Minister sought to defend Chancellor Rachel Reeves amid accusations that she misled the public over economic forecasts prior to her recent tax-raising Budget.
It has emerged that the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) informed Ms Reeves before her statement that public finances had improved significantly, indicating a surplus of £4.2bn rather than the anticipated deficit. The Chancellor has denied any intent to mislead, and Sir Keir backed her, describing the Budget as a “moment of personal pride”.
The Prime Minister was also challenged over reforms to the justice system announced on Tuesday. Under the proposals, juries would be scrapped for so-called either-way cases where the likely jail sentence is three years or less, a move designed to ease court backlogs.
Adding to the pressure, Justice Secretary David Lammy disclosed that 12 prisoners had been mistakenly released in the past three weeks, with two still at large. The revelations have intensified scrutiny of the government's handling of both fiscal and judicial matters.
