James Bowler, the Treasury's top civil servant, has been embroiled in the growing controversy over whether Chancellor Rachel Reeves misled the public about the nation's finances before the Budget.

Senior figures at the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) revealed to the Treasury select committee on Tuesday that Bowler had approved the publication of a letter showing Reeves was aware the financial hole was smaller than previously thought.

The letter's release on Friday sparked accusations that Reeves had falsely represented the shortfall to justify her £30bn tax raid, leading to calls for her resignation.

Prof David Miles and Tom Josephs, two members of the OBR's Budget Responsibility Committee, told the committee they had cautioned the Treasury that pre-Budget briefings and leaks

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