Chancellor Sajid Javid declares Budget won’t be delayed due to Brexit hold-up — despite No10’s warning

Chancellor Sajid Javid sparked speculation of a fresh rift with Boris Johnson last night after declaring his Budget won't be delayed - just hours after No10 said it could be because of the Brexit impasse.

The PM's spokesman said the current scheduled date of November 6 was at risk of being pulled because of the fresh uncertainty over the Brexit deadline.

He said the Government would "assess" the date once the EU has decided how long the Brexit extension will last.

Insiders also suggested the November 6 Budget would be delayed because economic forecasts are based on the assumption Britain will leave the EU with a deal.

But last night Mr Javid insisted there would be no change to the current date under any scenario except for a No Deal Brexit.

Under that scenario the Government has said it would push back the Budget by a few weeks.

The Chancellor told ITV's Peston on Sunday show last night: "There will be a Budget. The Budget's on track."

'IMMEDIATE CONSEQUENCES'

He added: "The only situation there won't be a Budget is if there were actually a No Deal outcome."

The Office for Budget Responsibility - the Government’s independent spending watchdog - is basing its forecasts on the basis of the Government delivering a Brexit deal.

The Treasury said the OBR’s assumption of a Brexit deal was not dependent on delivering Brexit by October 31.

But the Prime Minister’s spokesman said: "We are still working towards a scenario of leaving on October 31 with a deal. We would have to assess that closer to the time.”

The Government had already planned to push the Budget back a few weeks under a No Deal scenario and instead hold a briefer ‘economic statement’ before the Brexit date in order to deal with the immediate consequences.

A short Brexit extension of a few weeks is also thought to push the Budget back.

But if the Brexit delay is until January 31 the Government is expected to keep the November 6 date unchanged.