Why Osborne’s Budget bolsters the case for leaving Europe

Give thanks for George Osborne — and I don’t say that because I happen to be writing this column on a slow train from Leeds to Manchester, a line that this Chancellor has just promised, for the umpteenth time, to upgrade. I say it because whatever flaws and gimmicks may have leapt out of Wednesday’s budget, however the actualities have drifted away from the forecasts, at least we have a finance minister who is on the front foot.

Boost growth; balance the books; keep the state lean; devolve to the regions; nurture self-reliance and entrepreneurship; stay in Europe; succeed Cameron; win the next election. That’s the agenda. You may not buy all of it. But respect the drive behind it — and compare it to what’s happening in the eurozone, where the absent role of a finance minister with a fiscal strategy has been delegated to central bank governor Mario Draghi, who has launched an anti-deflation programme of deep negative interest rates, more quantitative easing and liquidity support for banks that smacks of utter desperation; markets barely knew whether to laugh or cry when they heard the news last week.