By Andrew Marr

Maybe I’m the only person in the land who feels like this, but I’m feeling quietly sorry for the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves.

Every day, as next month’s nightmare Budget lurches closer, she gets completely contradictory and self-certain advice about what she must do.

Elderly economists, excitable think-tanks, shrill journalists and self-serving MPs are standing round the Treasury, yelling at full volume: Cut this tax. Abolish that tax. Slash this spending. Raise spending there.

To add to the cacophony, the Treasury itself likes to fly some kites – suggesting that there must be a mansion tax on properties over £2 million, or that a radical change is coming on pension lump sum withdrawals.

These things might happen. They may not. But we are being told about them now because officials want to see how the market might react if they were used.

For executives planning in companies, it’s utterly confusing and a reason to delay investment. For ordinary folk trying to protect their savings, sell homes, or make prudent........

© LBC