Reuters journalist disciplined over leak of retail sales figures

Official economic figures were leaked to the financial markets by a trainee journalist who got them from a Treasury official with whom he shared a flat, an inquiry has found.

A reporter with Reuters, the financial news agency, "improperly ascertained" the numbers from a Treasury briefing note the day before their release, the Office for National Statistics said yesterday.

The release of September's robust retail sales figures one hour ahead of schedule on 24 October triggered a surge on the financial markets as traders bet they would lead to a rise in interest rates.

The leak forced the Treasury to deny that Ed Balls, the chief economic adviser to Gordon Brown, had leaked the numbers during an earlier interview with Reuters.

The ONS launched an immediate inquiry and yesterday said Reuters had co-operated by revealing its source.

In a statement yesterday, Reuters said: "One of our trainee journalists acquired the information from the papers of a junior official working with HM Treasury. The information was obtained without the knowledge of the official." The journalist and his supervisor, who sanctioned the release of the story, are being disciplined but neither is likely to lose their job.

"This is an isolated incident and a clear departure from the highest standards of journalistic behaviour which the company is committed to maintaining under all circumstances," Reuters said.

The Treasury said it took the incident extremely seriously and was "rigorously examining all its procedures to ensure that any repetition is avoided". Len Cook, the National Statistician, said he would review arrangements covering distribution of market-sensitive data.