Jeremy Hunt to deliver budget on March 6 as election looms

I reckon the budget will have lots of traps for the next Labour government, such as tax cuts funded from borrowing so that Labour must either increase borrowing or cancel them. And if the budget is being delivered on March, the election could be called for May, so that the potential "feel good" factor is still high, and before the focus moves towards how they will be paid for.

I think we are heading for a may election. What do you think he will bribe the public withi?

It will be November. The conservatives will be decimated anyway, I hope they disband forever. However, AFD in Germany are a million times worse from what I have just read on the BBC.

Hunt has been doing this already with his faux-austerity. Keep borrowing high for now with commitments to cut spending for 2025 knowing full well it will be Labour who has to sort out the mess.

I reckon the budget will have lots of traps for the next Labour government, such as tax cuts funded from borrowing so that Labour must either increase borrowing or cancel them. And if the budget is being delivered on March, the election could be called for May, so that the potential "feel good" factor is still high, and before the focus moves towards how they will be paid for.

Would there really be much feelgood factor from one pay packet with £30 more in it for a £50k earner?

Surely the idea is waiting on rate cuts to kick in.

It's optics.

Since people won't vote on second order issues like PISA rankings and they failed on immigration and have not done much on health, they essentially want to try argue a 2015 style 'we took hard choices but here's the light at the end of the tunnel'.

After trying the whole change thing for a brief period, they've finally settled on 'better the devil you know'.

Personally I think the Autumn statement was the mistake (though I actually prefer Nov/Dec budgets) and that they should have waited and then with the larger headroom just halve the spare cash between NI cuts and fuel duty.

I actually think his pro motorist line had potential. He won't get votes from middle class eco warriors anyway but working class drivers 'white van man' are the types he needs to hold from 2019.

I just think anyone is noticing 'the optics'

He did a 2% NI cut and nobody noticed. I got the maximum benefit possible from that, it was a rounding error on my income.

That's why it's solely optics. You'll barely feel it but at least a 3% reduction will look okay and fit a message on TV and posters.

Moreover, current polling tables suggest that the number of Tories going for Labour is reducing but they are bleeding Reform votes (now 26-28% of 2019 Tories) and they are likely more sympathetic to the message.

It won't be enough of course but they are out of time and out of options.