Is austerity finally coming to an end?
Introduction
Going into Budget 2018, between leaks and political instability, few expected Chancellor Philip Hammond would have surprises left to spring....
How wrong we were.
Under pressure to support No 10's 'end of austerity' message, bolstered by revised growth forecasts from the Office of Budget Responsibility, and safe in the knowledge that it could all go out of the window in the event of a no-deal Brexit, the Chancellor gave the most eventful Budget speech of recent years.
