UK Names Haskel OBR Chair
UK Chancellor Reeves names Jonathan Haskel as preferred chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility
**Insight: OBR provides forecasts alongside Govt Budgets that heavily shape Budget policy, gilt issuance and fiscal “headroom” - - Haskel is a former Bank of England rate-setter and academic economist, so the choice points to continuity in technocratic, independent forecasting rather than a political break. - - Recent OBR forecasts have been central to Reeves’ fiscal position: March 2026 projections downgraded 2026 GDP growth to 1.1% while showing fiscal headroom rising to £23.6B, aided by lower borrowing-cost assumptions