SNP MP's request for disastrous Tory mini-budget forecast to be released is upheld

dailyrecord.co.uk:

An SNP MP's bid to have the draft economic forecast sent to the Tory Government before its disastrous mini-budget published has been upheld.Stuart McDonald's request for the economic watchdog to share the draft forecast it sent to former Tory Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng ahead of his September mini-budget was upheld on Friday.Kwarteng had refused to publish the Office for Budget Responsibility's (OBR) forecast when he announced the mini-budget.

The OBR checks the health of the UK economy and its forecasts are usually published alongside big government announcementsMcDonald, who represents Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East, had submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request demanding clarity on the advice after Kwarteng and then-Prime Minister Liz Truss crashed the economy.The data watchdog - called the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) - has now called on the OBR to hand over their advice given "the significant public interest" involved.McDonald said the OBR should now "publish all of the advice given to Mr Kwarteng".He said: "This is an important decision by the ICO, which will hopefully bring clarity to what was a mini-budget which continues to have a monumental impact on the UK's economy."It is now vital that the OBR accept this decision, and publish all of the advice given to Mr Kwarteng."We may be some months on from his disastrous budget, but the impacts are still being felt by households across Scotland."With inflation soaring and mortgage rates skyrocketing - leaving millions of people worried about how they're going to make it through the month - full transparency on the decision-making process is crucial."Failure to disclose all relevant documents will set a dangerous precedent for future