Why hasn’t there been more fallout from the autumn statement? It was a miserable affair, after all, taking the tax burden to a historic high from which it is unlikely to fall for decades. The Treasury documents promised that whoever is in power after the next election will have to cut spending when public services are threadbare. But on Thursday, as Jeremy Hunt listed what he was up to, the Tory benches were as animated as the sedated animals at a scandal-hit safari park – and they’ve not perked up since. Given the party’s addiction to drama, this is more remarkable than the endless regicide and plotting of the past year.
A mere handful of backbenchers have said they want some changes and will be talking to their whips to make sure Hunt and Rishi Sunak are well aware, but there are no signs of a serious rebellion, just gripes. Even those who supported Liz Truss have largely accepted that the new government has done what it can with a difficult situation. The front pages of the newspapers in the days after have been difficult, but well within the realms of what the chancellor and prime minister were expecting as they prepared for last week.
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