'Damp squib Budget to be remembered as Chancellor signing party’s death warrant'

06 March 2024 , 17:45

736     0

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is scrambling to revive his party's flagging fortunes (Image: Getty Images)

Jeremy Hunt is a middle-manager delivering his final presentation before redundancy.

The fight has gone out of him and the Tories, that lightweight Budget a wave of white flag. It’s as if the battered Conservatives are surrendering after four election wins and five Prime Ministers over 14 turbulent years. Because it won’t shift the political dial for a UK governing party staring defeat in the face at the fifth contest.

I can’t see that destiny day taking place in May when the Chancellor gave Tories nothing to sell on doorsteps. Delay until November and the result will probably be the deserved same - a Labour victory.

The lack of ambition, vision and energy was astonishing. They’ve run out of ideas. Cutting National Insurance will probably repeat January’s response which was zero electoral gain. Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Hunt and Rishi Sunak would be mad not to make plans for the future away from Downing Street.

Britain’s in recession, the economy shrinking not growing, households are worse off compared with five years ago, including paying more tax, and national debt is forecast to continue increasing while public services deteriorate further.

Teachers, civil servants and train drivers walk out in biggest strike in decade

That’s why the Conservatives deserve to be booted out of Government. That’s why the country is likely to give Keir Starmer and Labour a chance. Hunt did little, if anything, to fundamentally change politics or economics.

That’s another reason the game is up for the Tories. They’ve run out of puff. That damp squib Budget will go down in history as a Chancellor signing his party’s death warrant.

Kevin Maguire