Budgets used to be big deals; landmarks in the political calendar, full of closely guarded secrets. It was difficult to see any of that in Jeremy Hunt’s attempt to salvage the Tory ship.
The spin-doctors have long since taken control and seem to have decided that it is smart to feed anything of note to favoured media outlets days in advance of a Budget.
This does not make a lot of sense since it robs the Chancellor of any element of surprise, far less mystique. It is an even worse tactic when there is no unadvertised rabbit to pull from the hat, as proved to be the case this time.
Famously, the post-war Labour chancellor, Hugh Dalton, resigned for revealing secrets, though only as he walked into the Chamber to deliver his Budget. In passing, he told a friendly lobby journalist: “No more on tobacco; a penny on beer, something on dogs and pools but not on horses … profits tax doubled”.
Clement Attlee (Image: free)
This information was published 20 minutes before he spoke. When told what happened, Clement Attlee responded: “Talk to the press? Why would he want to talk to the press?”. Dalton’s offer of resignation was accepted and Attlee observed: “Perfect ass. He always liked to have a secret to confide to somebody”.
For decades thereafter, leaking Budget secrets was the political equivalent of a capital offence. Now there are too many asses hanging around politics, eager to prove their importance by talking to the press, and Budgets are reduced to government PR exercises, quickly forgotten.
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