Budget 2013: Five boxes George Osborne needs to tick

We’ve got just over half an hour until the Chancellor stands up to give his Budget statement in the House of Commons. It’s the last Budget, many Tory MPs believe, that he has to make a real difference to the party before 2015. And those who enjoy plotting against the leadership are touting it as one of the last chances David Cameron and George Osborne have to convince their own MPs that they’re worth backing for the long run. So what does the Chancellor need to do to emerge unscathed from this bleak Budget? Here are five boxes he needs to tick.

1. Cost of living. A big issue for Conservative MPs, and one that many of them have campaigned on vociferously. One of the most active campaigners has been Robert Halfon, who will be hoping that the rumours about the Chancellor either delaying or scrapping the fuel duty increase are true.