If the opinion polls are right, Jeremy Hunt is on the political equivalent of death row. Voters have passed judgment on the government and it is only a matter of time before the sentence is carried out.
That’s not the way the chancellor sees it. For a condemned man, he was remarkably cheerful as he did the rounds of the TV studios in the run-up to Wednesday’s autumn statement. His message was simple: things may look bleak for the government but all is not lost. There is too much negativity. The long-term prospects are “fantastic”. The chancellor is confident there will be an 11th-hour pardon from the British people.
