This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-21861941

The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Evening Standard sorry over Budget leak Evening Standard sorry over Budget leak
(about 1 hour later)
The Evening Standard has apologised after it published details of the Budget online before George Osborne delivered his statement.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.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.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.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. Evening Standard editor Sarah Sands said she was "devastated" by the error, which saw the newspaper's front page published on Twitter before Mr Osborne started speaking.
"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. 'Deep apologies'
BBC political correspondent Tim Reid says Labour leader Ed Miliband is reading a photocopy of newspaper's front page while Mr Osborne is speaking. She told the BBC: "It is an arrangement we have had through successive governments and has always worked. We publish after the Budget.
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. "This was not online and we had not imagined that it would be tweeted by a very young and inexperienced journalist. I am writing to the Speaker and chancellor now with deep apologies."
The newspaper says Mr Osborne will set out growth forecasts showing the UK economy will grow by 0.6% this year. She said an investigation was under way and the individual who tweeted the page had been suspended while this takes place.
The government will also borrow £61.5bn more than planned over six years, with national debt rising to 85% of GDP, the newspaper says. Labour leader Ed Miliband, who was reading a photocopy of the newspaper's front page while Mr Osborne was speaking, demanded an investigation into the leak.
According to the Standard, the personal tax allowance will rise to £10,000 by April 2014. In his response to the Budget, Mr Miliband said Mr Osborne "almost need not have bothered coming" to the Commons "because the whole Budget, including the market-sensitive fiscal forecasts, were in the Standard".
He added: "To be fair to the chancellor of the exchequer, I'm sure he didn't intend the whole of the Budget to be in the Standard before he rose to his feet.
"I hope he will investigate and report back to the House."
The front page of the newspaper gave details of some of the chancellor's major announcements on tax, including his scrapping of the annual alcohol duty escalator and the rise in the personal tax allowance to £10,000 by April 2014.
In 1947 Chancellor Hugh Dalton resigned after leaking details of a Budget to journalists.In 1947 Chancellor Hugh Dalton resigned after leaking details of a Budget to journalists.