Starmer 'planning to blame Farage' for Budget tax hikes

Sir Keir Starmer is reportedly gearing up to blame Nigel Farage and Brexit for Britain’s expected downturn in productivity at the Budget, as part of a new attack on the Reform UK leader.

- MILLIE COOKE

Treasury officials are bracing for the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) to lower its forecasts for productivity growth - a downgrade that is likely to create an extra shortfall of around £20bn at November's Budget that is expected to be filled by a swathe of tax rises.

But sources told The Times Sir Keir and chancellor Rachel Reeves are planning to argue that the downgrade would not have happened were it not for Brexit, pinning the blame on the Reform leader for leading the campaign to take Britain out of the EU.

It comes after the The Independent revealed that Brexit has cost UK business £37bn a year as a result of a 5 per cent drop in trade with the bloc.