Despite getting a very positive reception in the Commons, today’s newslinks are full of augers of potential trouble over the Budget. Is it a one-off, to be followed by years of traditional tax-cutting Conservatism, as Rishi Sunak wants Tory MPs to believe?
Or does it mark a ‘philosophical shift’, as Simon Clarke appears to suggest? And if it does, how much appetite is there for it amongst ordinary Conservatives?
The results of our most recent survey suggest a degree of ambivalence. Overall, just under 44 per cent of respondents are positively inclined towards “the plans for tax and spending announced by the Chancellor in his Budget”, with only ten per cent “very satisfied”.
Against that, almost 37 per cent were ill-disposed towards it, with just under 20 per cent “very dissatisfied”. The remaining fifth reserved judgement.
The picture that emerges is a grassroots prepared to give the Chancellor the benefit of the doubt… for now. But if the economy doesn’t perform as rosily as forecasted on what is still broadly thought to be the years-long march to the next election, there is plenty of scope for a backlash against the ‘new philosophy’.