Is the OBR too gloomy about Brexit?

The Office for Budget Responsibility’s economic forecasts garnered more attention than usual after last week’s Autumn Statement, and have been criticised by some for being too gloomy on Brexit. On the face of it, this criticism seems unwarranted, given that the forecasts are much stronger than the dire post-referendum predictions made by some, as well as the current consensus expectation and the Bank of England’s forecast. Nonetheless, there are some reasons to still be more optimistic than the OBR.