As Rachel Reeves prepares what is potentially the most difficult Budget in a generation, a question occurs: what if the Conservatives had, somehow, won the election?
Historians hate counterfactuals, considering them unhelpful parlour-games. Personally, I enjoy a good ‘what if’ – not least because they can help put current political events in context.
In that spirit, I’m pleased to present here the October 2024 Budget speech that Chancellor Jeremy Hunt might give in a parallel universe where the Conservatives remained in office after the election.
As well a Budget address, this is also my resignation speech
‘Madam Deputy Speaker, it gives me no great pleasure to present this Budget statement to the House today. To be frank, it’s awful and I wish I wasn’t doing it. To be even more frank, I never expected to be here today doing this – which anyone who has followed the last few years of fiscal statements would know.
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