Autumn Budget 2026: Date, Time, How to Watch, What to Expect
The Autumn Budget is on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, and Chancellor John Healey is expected to start speaking at about 12:30 p.m., straight after Prime Minister's Questions. It's his first Budget since Andy Burnham made him Chancellor in July. You can watch it live on BBC Parliament or Parliament's own website, and the full Budget documents and the Office for Budget Responsibility's new forecast are published the same afternoon. The UK is back on GMT by then, as the clocks go back on Sunday, October 25.
Budget day at a glance
- Date: Wednesday, October 28, 2026, confirmed in the Chancellor's letter to the Treasury Select Committee on July 31 (GOV.UK)
- Time: Prime Minister's Questions starts at 12 noon, and the Budget statement usually follows at about 12:30 p.m. It normally lasts about an hour (BDO)
- Where: the House of Commons. After the Chancellor sits down, the Leader of the Opposition replies
- Documents: the Treasury publishes the Budget documents on GOV.UK, with the detail of when each measure takes effect, and the OBR publishes its updated economic and fiscal outlook the same day
How to watch the Budget
- TV: BBC Parliament shows the Commons live, and the main news channels carry the speech.
- Online: parliamentlive.tv streams the House of Commons live, free and without adverts.
- The detail: the Budget "red book" and policy papers appear on GOV.UK once the speech is over, and the OBR's forecast is on obr.uk.
What time is that where you are?
| Where | About 12:30 p.m. GMT is |
|---|---|
| London, Dublin | 12:30 p.m. |
| Paris, Berlin, Lagos | 1:30 p.m. |
| Dubai | 4:30 p.m. |
| Karachi | 5:30 p.m. |
| New Delhi | 6 p.m. |
| New York, Toronto | 8:30 a.m. |
| Sydney | 11:30 p.m. |
What we already know
- "Built on fiscal discipline": Healey has said the Budget will "meet our fiscal rules", the ones set by Rachel Reeves, including balancing day-to-day spending with tax revenue by the end of the decade (BBC News).
- No rise in the main tax rates: Burnham has said his government will keep Labour's 2024 manifesto pledges not to increase income tax, VAT or National Insurance contributions.
- Electricity VAT: VAT was temporarily removed from household electricity bills from October 1, for the rest of the financial year. It was one of Burnham's first announcements as Prime Minister (NatWest).
- Mayors and income tax: Burnham said city-region mayors in England will get a share of income tax revenue for the first time, with more detail expected in the Budget. The government says the rate of income tax won't change as a result.
- Pressure on the numbers: Reeves left a £22 billion buffer in her last Budget, but inflation and borrowing costs pushed up by the war in Iran may have eroded it, and Burnham's priorities include extra defence spending and better social care. The OBR's new five-year forecast on Budget day decides how much room he has.
Anything beyond this is forecasting until the speech. Tax changes in the Budget usually take effect from a later date, often April 6, the start of the new tax year, so read the GOV.UK documents for the exact date of anything that affects you.
Dates to watch before the Budget
| Date | What |
|---|---|
| Tue, Oct 20 | Latest jobs and wages figures |
| Wed, Oct 21 | September inflation figures and public sector finances, the last big official numbers before the Budget (see when the next inflation figures come out) |
| Sun, Oct 25 | Clocks go back; the Budget is on GMT |
| Wed, Oct 28 | Budget statement, Budget documents and the OBR's economic and fiscal outlook |
Data dates from NatWest's Budget timeline. Healey became Chancellor on July 20, 2026, when Andy Burnham became Prime Minister. He had resigned as Defence Secretary under Sir Keir Starmer after a row over defence spending.
Quick answers
When is the Autumn Budget 2026?
Wednesday, October 28, 2026.
What time does the Budget start?
The Chancellor usually stands up at about 12:30 p.m., after Prime Minister's Questions at noon. The exact time depends on how long PMQs runs.
Who is delivering the Budget?
John Healey, the Chancellor of the Exchequer. It's his first Budget.
Will income tax go up?
The government has said it will keep its pledge not to raise the rates of income tax, VAT or National Insurance. Other changes, such as to thresholds or allowances, are only known on the day.
Where can I read the Budget?
On GOV.UK, where the Treasury publishes the documents after the speech, and the OBR's forecast on obr.uk.
