The implications of the crisis are such that Johnson and Sunak need not so much to think outside the box as to trample it to tatters altogether.
The fact that Darlington station was explicitly addressed in his statement is a great sign of how swiftly the Chancellor has mastered the detail of his brief.
Also: Gove warns the Electoral Commission not to ‘waste time’ on SNP demands; Scottish Nationalists showing the strain as problems mount; and more.
It may be necessary, given the Coronavirus, and could even work. But Britain has a long, long record of state spending failing to turbo-charge growth.
The Government has a new star.
“The OBR have said that today’s Budget will be the largest sustained fiscal boost for thirty years.”
“This is the Budget of a Government that gets things done…A Budget that delivers on our promises.”
The Budget document itself, plus a summary of the measures, costings, data sources and distributional analysis.
In his debut Budget, Sunak promises quicker access to benefits, statutory sick pay for all who self-isolate – and money for the NHS “whatever it costs”.
For the Conservatives to fulfil their promise of “levelling up” the UK, they must create ample employment opportunities.
The Coronavirus will punch a hole in Sunak’s sums sufficient to throw levelling-up, Boosterism, Brexit bonuses – what have you – off course.
The Treasury often fails to recognise the potential benefits of lower taxes, because they don’t properly factor in how behaviour changes.
We are in danger of losing sight of the simple truth which has been a favoured phrase of Tory politicians through the ages: borrowing today is simply taxation deferred.
At the least, we can expect reduced growth worldwide – and a more expansionary Budget next month.
The former Chancellor can become spokesman for a cause, and it isn’t hard to see what it could be: lower spending and taxes.