It was supposed to be the week that ended months of uncertainty.

But Rachel Reeves has finished Budget week with more questions to answer than she started with.

Not all of it was bad. Increasing the fiscal headroom was prudent. Cutting back motability spending was sensible. Removing a loophole that allowed private hire firms to use tour operator tax rules was appropriate. And the OBR leak wasn’t her fault.

But there was plenty to dislike in the Budget. For one thing, as top tax guru Dan Neidle has observed, it contains “almost nothing in the way of pro-growth measures.” For a government that has made growth one of its core missions, the actions are not living up to the words.

For another, as I have written, the tax freezes introduced are far from progressive. They won’t hit top earners very much – instead it is young professional graduates who are........

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