David Cameron must avoid the trap set by Gordon Brown’s pre-Budget report

When Ernest Bevin was appointed to run Britain’s wartime economy, he saw his chance to fix policy for decades.

When Ernest Bevin was appointed to run Britain’s wartime economy, he saw his chance to fix policy for decades. ‘They say Gladstone was at the Treasury from 1860 to 1930’, he declared. ‘Well, I will be at the Ministry of Labour from 1940 to 1990.’ Bevin was out in five years, and dead in another six. But Gordon Brown is made of sterner stuff. The Chancellor firmly intends to be at the Treasury — spiritually, if not physically — from 1997 until 2017, and he started legislating with that goal in mind nine years ago.

To commemorate the tenth anniversary of his occupation of the Treasury next year, Mr Brown is planning a spending review which will look at the next ten years. To help him complete his projected 20-year reign at the Treasury he has commissioned various businessmen to produce futuristic reports into what Britain needs.