CHANCELLOR

Philip Hammond’s gimmicky review on chewing gum, which he announced in last week’s Spring Statement, had a familiar ring to it. In 2002, at a so- called urban summit in Birmingham, labour’s John Prescott announced £50 fines for dropping gum in the street, a ban on its sale near schools, and dustmen given powers to issue littering fines. nothing happened then, and I suspect nothing will happen now.