Don't worry @JoeMurphyLondon they won't lock you in the tower for leaking budget. I used to do it all the time! PS no salmon today

— charlie whelan (@charliewhelan) March 20, 2013

There is a massive flap in Whitehall and Kensington High Street right now as the dust settles from the fact the details of the budget hit the internet before Osborne has stood up, let alone lost his voice. This is nothing new though. In 2005 Gordon Brown leaked his whole budget to the Standard and even had the cheek to give them quotes:

“My Budget will show that we are meeting our fiscal rules, our spending plans are fully affordable and we are taking no risks with stability. And today the British people will see it is only this government which can maintain that hard won stability, make the necessary investment to equip Britain for the long-term economic challenges and continue to put Britain’s hardworking families first.”

Like today’s, the 2005 Standard splash went on to list everything in the Budget before it was delivered. Standard budget leaks are nothing new, but the government are not having a good week when it comes to understanding how the internet works.