The chancellor was meant to set out her contingency plans but it was an announcement without any announcements in it
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ou have to feel a bit sorry for the chancellor. Roughly four weeks ago, Rachel Reeves had come to the Commons to deliver her spring statement. A moderately upbeat picture of the nation’s finances that didn’t necessarily coincide with people’s lived experience. Still, it more or less did the trick. Bought her another six months until the autumn budget. Or so she thought.
Now, thanks to the orange manchild sociopath in the White House, her forecasts are in tatters. And Reeves can’t even begin to assess the damage because there is no end to the war in sight. In the best-case scenario, the economy might just be in intensive care. The worst doesn’t bear thinking about. A full-scale financial meltdown. There again, we don’t even know what the world will look like in the next few weeks, let alone the next six months.
The only comfort for Reeves is this isn’t personal. When it comes to war, Donald Trump has broken the habit of a lifetime and been genuinely inclusive. Equal opportunities. He’s not just happy to take the US down with him. He won’t rest until he’s also completely screwed over the rest of the world.
