16 Dec 2024
Written Statement
Office for Budget Responsibility: Economic and Fiscal Forecast
  1. ANALYSIS

    Structure and Main Content:

    • The statement's primary focus is a directive to the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) to prepare an economic and fiscal forecast by 26 March 2025.
    • It reinforces the statutory requirement necessitated by the Budget Responsibility and National Audit Act 2011 for the creation of semi-annual forecasts.
    • This forecast follows a previous one published in October 2024, highlighting biannual compliance.
    • An emphasis on providing stability and certainty for families and businesses is evident, tied to the broader governmental growth mission.

    Policy Terms and Legislation:

    • Budget Responsibility and National Audit Act 2011
    • Economic forecast, Fiscal forecast
    • Major fiscal event

    Named Entities:

    • Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR)
    • Date of publication: 26 March 2025
    • Previous publication date: October 2024

    Numerical Data and Statistics:

    • Dates of future and past forecasts
    • References to organizational duties under legislative acts

    Related Parliamentary Business:

    • Parliamentary statement response to the March forecast
    • Annual major fiscal event theme

    Political Positions and Departmental Context:

    • The emphasis on government growth mission
    • The focus on stability and certainty signaling a pro-investment and growth-friendly stance

    Department Names and Governmental Bodies:

    • Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR)
    • Likely involvement of the Treasury Department given the economic focus

    Key Dates and Timeframes:

    • March 26, 2025: Anticipated forecast publication date
    • October 2024: Previous forecast release

Key Contributions

Original Transcript
The Chancellor of the Exchequer
Rachel Reeves

Today I can inform the House that I have asked the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) to prepare an economic and fiscal forecast for publication on 26 March 2025.

This forecast, in addition to the forecast that was published in October 2024, will fulfil the obligation required by the Budget Responsibility and National Audit Act 2011 for the OBR to produce at least two forecasts in a financial year.

I intend to respond to the March forecast with a parliamentary statement. This is in line with my commitment to deliver one major fiscal event a year, to give families and businesses the stability and certainty they need and, in turn, to support the Government’s growth mission.

All content derived from official parliamentary records