These latest tax cuts were not the gamechanger the Tories need before the election Jeremy Hunt is in favour of delaying the election until the autumn, and it showed. His second budget had all the hallmarks of a holding operation from a government hoping the summer will bring better economic news and leave open the possibility of another package of measures in six or seven months’ time.Sure, there was the much-heralded cut in national insurance contributions, which formed the biggest chunk of a front-loaded £14bn stimulus package. Certainly, he took every opportunity to have a pop at Labour in a deeply political speech. This will be the last budget before the election, but it did not feel like the last roll of the dice for the government. Continue reading...