Yesterday’s Budget drama didn’t start in Parliament, it started in WordPress.
The OBR’s economic forecast went live before the Chancellor had even stood up – not through a leak or insider tip, but simply because the page was made publicly accessible. A tiny timing error, a big national headline, and not a great moment to be the person in charge of pressing “publish.”
According to reports, newswires began pushing Budget headlines more than 40 minutes early after journalists discovered the full PDF on the OBR’s website. Markets reacted within seconds. Bond yields moved. Sterling jumped. And Westminster scrambled to understand how such a tightly held document had slipped out.
The OBR initially suggested the issue lay elsewhere, but metadata showed the file had been modified at 3:10am, and investigators now believe the page was created, prepared, and accidentally made accessible before anyone realised people could simply guess the URL. Within minutes, the watchdog was forced into a public apology and a rapid internal investigation.
The OBR site is powered by WordPress, which isn’t unusual for a huge share of government, public sector and high-traffic websites. But it does highlight something important:
Even the most robust CMS is only as reliable as the people, processes and timings behind it.
This isn’t the first time premature publishing has made the news.
Back in 2017, the Daily Telegraph accidentally published an incomplete pre-written obituary for Prince Philip, complete with placeholders and editorial notes, long before any official announcement. It was removed quickly, but not before screenshots spread and the paper was forced to apologise and review its processes.
Different context, same story: one click, one mistimed update, and suddenly the internet knows something it shouldn’t.
Both moments show how even well-established organisations can be caught out by mistimed content, draft files gone live, or workflows that don’t lock sensitive material down tightly enough.
Whether you’re a public body or a private business, your content scheduling needs the same rigour as your messaging:
- Accurate publishing times
- Clear user permissions
- Locked-down workflows
- Pre-flight checks
- Safe staging environments
- Real-time oversight on the day
At Barques, we build and manage WordPress sites for clients where timing is critical, from major announcements to award wins, and for organisations like Birmingham and Solihull Women’s Aid, where safeguarding is essential. Their website contains highly sensitive information about support services, refuge access and emergency contacts, so the project required absolute accuracy, discretion and tightly controlled publishing.
Days like yesterday are a reminder that level of technical discipline matters.
It’s also why so many of our clients trust us with PR for development schemes, award submissions and sensitive announcements, where details simply can’t be disclosed early.
We work closely with award organisers, managing embargoed information and coordinating releases so that nothing is published before the moment it’s meant to be. Whether it’s a multi-million-pound development, a confidential partner announcement or an upcoming award win, precision and confidentiality are everything.
In moments where accuracy, confidentiality and timing matter, you need a partner who gets it right.
Barques is that partner.
If your CMS, website or announcement process needs tighter control, let’s talk. We’ll help make sure your next ‘publish’ moment is the right one.