UK

Analysis: Jeremy Hunt's ‘fiscal fiction’ budget pushes difficult decisions beyond next election

The tax-cutting budget introduced today is likely do little to inspire voter confidence in Rishi Sunak's government

Jeremy Hunt, Britain’s chancellor at Downing Street introducing the country’s budget

Quite a few Conservatives MPs have dabbled in fiction over the years, from Benjamin Disraeli to Winston Churchill, and most recently former minister Nadine Dorries. With today’s tax-cutting budget, chancellor Jeremy Hunt proved more than capable of matching some of those creative efforts.

The story of this budget, and indeed successive previous fiscal events, can be found in fuel duty. In 2022, then-chancellor and now prime minister Rishi Sunak announced a "temporary" 5p fuel duty cut. ...