A foretaste of budgets to come

The Chancellor had to run a gauntlet of striking public sector workers making his way to the Commons.

It’s a foretaste of budgets to come in years to come. But we learn little very new more about the grim times ahead today.

There is still a lot, billions of pounds worth of cuts undefined (the IFS estimates £31bn but that number could career up if the growth estimates are undershot or some external economic shock sends tremors through the economy).

We’re expecting more detail on the £11bn efficiency savings that were announced in the PBR last year. So you’ll get a flavour of tough times but little new detail.