The Guardian view on the budget: Rachel Reeves must have a narrative, not just numbers

‘The implication of Ms Reeves’ diagnosis is that the state must be bigger and more active.’
Photograph: AP

Among the most famous definitions of narrative comes from EM Forster. “The king died and then the queen died” is a story, he said, while “The king died and then the queen died of grief” is a plot. The first merely recounts events, while the second smuggles in cause; it elicits a reader’s curiosity and empathy.

Doubtless Rachel Reeves will have much on her mind this close to her first budget, but once at the dispatch box she would do well to remember some Forster. Any chancellor can unleash a barrage of numbers and forecasts, tarmac an A-road or scrap a tax relief – or discover both a huge black hole in funding alongside a handy new measurement of government debt. But the most consequential governments have also offered a big political narrative.