Leaking its contents? Labour wants an inquiry on Budget 2012

Labour demands inquiry into Budget leaks

Labour demands inquiry into Budget leaks

By Ian Dunt

Speaker John Bercow has granted an urgent question on the leaks from the Budget which preceded yesterday's announcement.

The decision follows an almost unprecedented series of news reports about the contents of this year's Budget, leaving almost nothing to be announced yesterday.

Labour MP Chris Leslie is demanding an inquiry into the leaks.

The extent of the leaks is partly the result of coalition government, as the Conservatives tried to highlight their priorities ahead of yesterday's announcement and Liberal Democrats endeavoured to promote their own agenda.

But many pundits speculated that the extent of the leaks made George Osborne's job more difficult.

The lack of any significant new measures on the day encouraged journalists to focus on the so-called 'granny tax', which served to dominate news reports in the wake of the Budget.