Hammond gets a pasting in the press

It’s fair to say that Philip Hammond hasn’t charmed Fleet Street with his Spring Budget. 

There is little sympathy even from newspapers inclined to agree with a Conservative assessment of how to run the economy. Broken promises are potent in politics – just ask the Liberal Democrats. The Tories made their tax lock pledge in the 2015 election as they were hoovering up seats from the Lib Dems who were being punished for failing to keep a pledge on tuition fees they had made at the previous election. Westminster had almost forgotten the tuition fee row. Voters hadn’t. 

The argument that bringing National Insurance for the self-employed into line with that paid by those who are on payroll might sound good to people who don’t think about politics, but the presence of a pledge card beats that in the political game of scissors, paper, stone. It will be interesting to see how the Chancellor responds to this political problem tomorrow in his media round.