Harriet Harman struggles to get her point across

On all counts, yesterday’s Budget was not a great day for Labour. The party found themselves in an awkward position as they struggled to decide how best to respond to a Budget which in part used policies they had endorsed ahead of the election.

To make matters worse, Steerpike understands that Harriet Harman failed to get her message across to many of her colleagues. An unfortunately timed fire alarm at Portcullis House meant MPs and Parliamentary researchers were evacuated from the premises just as George Osborne was nearing the end of his Budget announcement. By the time they got back in the building, they only managed to catch the very tail end of Harman’s reply.

‘You could call it a blessing in disguise,’ whispers one disgruntled staffer.