Budget predictions are almost always futile, but the chancellor has done a good job of expectation management this morning as he paraded newsrooms to do a series of interviews.
He was overusing words like “prudent” and “responsible” in the clearest signal yet that this budget will be another opportunity for a fight between the two major parties to try to outdo each other on talking tough on the economy – to try and sound the most fiscally responsible.
But for the chancellor, it also does the job to lower expectations just days before a budget.
This serves two functions: firstly to give the element of surprise if he chooses to announce major giveaways next week, and secondly, to distance himself starkly away from Liz Truss’ notorious mini-budget.
It’s not a new tactic and remember, this is a government that brought back a former prime minister back into cabinet after all, so it would be foolish not to expect surprises on Wednesday.
Tax cuts have been hinted at by the government for months, so it was inevitable that Hunt would be asked about the scope of those measures, but now with much less headroom than expected.
Whether they even stick to fiscal rules this time around is another question.
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Budget will be ‘prudent and responsible’
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