It is one of the more peculiar traditions of the budget: the fact that the chancellor, always one of the less flamboyant ministers in the cabinet, is meant to pepper their lengthy, data-laden speech with jokes.
Some do it better than others. Philip Hammond had an undeniable, if deadpan sense of timing, while Rishi Sunak sometimes gave the impression that he didn’t quite know what a joke was. Jeremy Hunt falls somewhere between – enthusiastic, but not a natural. Here are some of his jokes from Wednesday’s budget, from the obvious to the obscure.
