Sober Chancellor delivers a sobering budget for difficult times
Churchill drank brandy while he delivered his budgets, Gladstone preferred sherry and beaten egg. Hugh Dalton liked a rum and milk, while Ken Clarke drank whisky.
Presenting her first budget as Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves drank water. But you knew that already, didn't you? Our Rachel never comes across as much of a bon viveur. A sober chancellor giving a sober budget was the clear mood.
There were attempts at humour, some successful, others less so. She got a decent laugh when she thanked previous chancellors for their counsel, 'including the former member for Spelthorne (Kwasi Kwarteng), who admitted his mini-budget wasn't perfect'.
Even her uber-earnest deputy, Chief Secretary Darren Jones, burst out laughing at that one. He's an interesting character our Dazza, he sat dutifully behind his boss, looking like a character from a bygone age. He's only 37, but with his immaculately brilliantined hair, and round tortoiseshell spectacles, he looks like he would be more at home in some period drama, sat behind a Churchill or an Attlee. I bet if he ever gets to deliver his budget, he will drink a small glass of port or something.
Stressing her commitment to new laws which will make it more difficult for employers to dismiss workers, the Chancellor remarked that 'the party opposite will be acutely interested in this, having repeatedly seen their colleagues dismissed at short notice.' Quite funny for a politician, but she should probably have left it that, rather than continuing with a somewhat contrived reference to Kemi Badenoch's comments on maternity leave. Sometimes less is more, Rachel.
Announcing a 50 per cent hike in taxes on private jets, she tried to get in a dig at Rishi Sunak – at least one presumes that's who it was aimed at.
"I see the gentleman opposite's ears have pricked up," she quipped. Which may have worked if it was actually true. Trouble was, the former prime minister did not even appear to be listening, rather being engrossed in conversation with Jeremy Hunt, both men buried in their notes. That's the pitfall of scripting your 'off the cuff' jokes.
Of course, this was not so much a budget as a press conference, with pretty much all the nasties having been leaked over the past few weeks. The Chancellor rather hamfistedly tried to spin the 50 per cent increase in bus fares – announced by the PM in the West Midlands on Monday – as an 'extension to the fare cap', but didn't really convince anyone. On the other hand, the freeze in fuel duty, the 1p-a-pint cut in draught beer duty, and the extra money for potholes went down well, as did the cut in business rates for the retail, hospitality and leisure businesses.
She won't win any comedy awards, but after a difficult three months, the Chancellor will probably be reasonably pleased with her performance. She succeeded in her two objectives: to increase borrowing without spooking the financial markets, and increased taxes without sparking any great backlash.
There won't be many champagne corks popping in Downing Street. But I wouldn't be surprised if the Chancellor didn't treat herself to a little tipple afterwards.
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