The Way Things Are Going

In 1947, Hugh Dalton had to resign as Chancellor of the Exchequer because minutes before delivering his Budget speech, he had let slip to a journalist that certain taxes would be changed, causing that story to appear in the evening papers while he was still speaking and before he had informed the House of Commons. These days, readers and MPs alike would count themselves lucky that it had been true, since not only has the Government already announced five new freeports to the media, but those turn out never to have existed after all.

Yesterday, Keir Starmer's harsh light of fiscal reality bent around the £22 billion black hole of Rachel Reeves to reveal an extra £1.4 billion for schools, or a whopping 50 grand each; £500 million for social housing, enough to build a couple of thousand homes; £240 million to help people back into work, or about 80 quid for each person currently jobless; and a 50 per cent increase in bus fares.

All on the day that Sir Lindsay Hoyle read the riot act over the announcement of policy in the media before its announcement to the House. Tomorrow, he should name both Starmer and Rachel Reeves, requiring them to leave the House immediately and not return for the remainder of the day's sitting. No Prime Minister's Questions that day. And no Budget speech, effectively daring the Government to publish it anyway and see what would happen.