The budget hasn’t moved the polls. They never do. But it may mark a change in politics. Why? Because it didn’t prioritise pensioners. The chancellor announced the second 2p reduction in the basic rate of national insurance in just four months, and 4p off NI is a big win for workers, who gain up to £1,500 next year.
But the picture of winners and losers is complicated because cuts today follow big tax rises – not least the six-year freeze to tax thresholds that will raise £40bn a year.
