What Time Is the UK Budget 2026? How to Watch Live

The 2026 UK Budget is scheduled for Wednesday, October 28, at approximately 12:30 p.m. in London, Greenwich Mean Time (GMT, UTC+00:00). That is also 12:30 p.m. UTC. Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey is due to speak in the House of Commons at Westminster, immediately after Prime Minister’s Questions. The start time is an estimate rather than a guaranteed minute.

You can follow the statement live on ParliamentLive.tv. For confirmed updates, use Parliament’s official Budget day guide rather than relying on social media predictions.

What time does the UK Budget start?

The key times for Wednesday, October 28, 2026, are:

• 12:00 p.m. London, GMT (UTC+00:00): Prime Minister’s Questions is scheduled to begin in the House of Commons.
• Around 12:30 p.m. London, GMT (UTC+00:00): The Chancellor’s Budget statement is expected to begin once Prime Minister’s Questions has finished.
• After the statement: HM Treasury is expected to release detailed Budget documents, while the Office for Budget Responsibility publishes its updated economic and fiscal outlook. No exact publication minute has been confirmed.
• Evening of October 28: The House of Commons Library plans to publish its accessible, impartial Budget summary.

The UK moved its clocks back on Sunday, October 25, 2026. Therefore the Budget takes place during GMT, not British Summer Time (BST). The government’s clock-change calendar confirms the transition. If you are outside the UK, convert from 12:30 UTC on October 28 rather than using a summertime UK offset.

How to watch the Budget live

1. Open the official Parliament stream. Visit ParliamentLive.tv’s House of Commons page on your phone, laptop, or smart TV browser. Look for the Commons Chamber live proceedings for October 28.
2. Join a little early. The Budget is expected around 12:30 p.m. GMT, but proceedings can shift. Joining during Prime Minister’s Questions, scheduled for noon GMT, makes it easier to avoid missing the opening.
3. Use an accessible feed if needed. Parliament says the opening statements will also be available with British Sign Language interpretation. Its broadcasting service offers subtitles for Commons Chamber business; check the available playback options on the day.
4. Stay for the response and debate. After the Chancellor’s speech, opposition parties respond and MPs begin discussing the proposals. The statement itself is not the entire parliamentary process.

If the stream is unavailable or you cannot watch at lunchtime, check the archived recording through ParliamentLive.tv afterward. A written account can also be found through Hansard, Parliament’s official record of debates, once published.

What is the UK Budget, and why does it matter?

The Budget is the Chancellor’s statement setting out the government’s plans for taxation and the public finances. It may announce policy affecting household costs, businesses, government revenue, and public services. It is different from an ordinary news briefing: formal documents and economic forecasts follow the speech, and proposed tax measures may require votes and legislation.

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is the independent body that produces economic and fiscal forecasts used in the Budget process. Its outlook covers subjects such as growth, inflation, borrowing, and debt. These forecasts help readers assess how the government expects the numbers to add up, rather than simply what ministers promise to do.

While following the speech, separate three questions: what the Chancellor announced, when any measure is proposed to begin, and whether further parliamentary approval is needed. A headline about a possible tax change does not, by itself, tell you whether it applies immediately or in a later tax year.

Where to find the confirmed announcements afterward

For a reliable picture of the Budget, review the primary documents in this order:

1. HM Treasury’s Budget papers: Parliament says the Treasury releases supporting documents after the Chancellor finishes. Start from the official parliamentary Budget guide for context and links.
2. Tax changes: Check HM Revenue & Customs’ Budget 2026 tax documents collection. It is the appropriate place to look for tax-specific explanations and supporting publications.
3. Economic forecasts: Read the OBR’s October 2026 forecast publication notice. The OBR says its Economic and Fiscal Outlook will follow the statement, with additional tables and materials due that afternoon.
4. A readable overview: Consult the House of Commons Library’s Autumn Budget 2026 summary, scheduled for publication on the evening of October 28.

Pay special attention to effective dates, eligibility requirements, and whether a policy applies across the whole UK or depends on devolved arrangements. The year of an announcement and the year a measure takes effect are not always the same.

Mistakes to avoid when following the Budget

• Confusing a scheduled start with an exact start. Parliament says approximately 12:30 p.m.; Commons business can run later.
• Using BST for a late-October event. The October 28 Budget is on GMT (UTC+00:00) because the clocks changed three days earlier.
• Treating predictions as decisions. Pre-Budget reports may discuss possible changes, but the speech and accompanying official papers are the evidence for confirmed measures.
• Assuming every announcement becomes law immediately. Some tax measures may take effect on Budget day under provisional procedures, while others need a Finance Bill and further parliamentary steps.
• Reading only the headlines. Detailed HMRC guidance, Treasury documents, and OBR forecasts can reveal conditions, dates, and costs missing from short summaries.

The simplest approach: open the Commons stream before 12:30 p.m. GMT on October 28, note the measures that matter to you, and verify each one against the official publications after the speech. That gives you both the live announcement and the detail needed to understand what it actually changes.