Chancellor shows his backbone with bold statement for uncertain times

It is still hard to believe that less than a year ago, Rishi Sunak was leading a government consultation on the accessibility of disabled lavatories. As he concluded his Summer Statement, the Chancellor remarked: “Governments, much less people, rarely get to choose the moments that define them. What choice there is comes in how we respond.”

He may not have chosen it, but the fledgling politician, 40, is fast becoming defined by what many regard as the most robust response to the coronavirus crisis that anyone in government has yet provided.

Once regarded as so chick-like by Dominic Cummings that he was installed as the supposedly malleable replacement to Sajid Javid, yesterday we witnessed the Treasury’s resident hawk take flight.

As he flapped his wings in the face of overcaution not just from the Department of Health – but No 10 itself – his message was clear: it is finally time to set Britain’s caged economy free.

Notable for its lack of jargon and brevity, at just 25 minutes, Mr Sunak delivered his rescue package with bullet-point succinctness, ensuring his words would be easily understood by the public.

The simple message to “Eat Out to Help Out” undoubtedly put him squarely at odds with the likes of Matt Hancock and the Sage experts grimly predicting a second peak. But it appeared Mr Sunak – a former hedge fund manager with a first from Oxford and an MBA from Stanford – had done the sums and fast concluded more lives would be lost if drastic measures weren’t taken to rescue UK Plc.

Unveiling a magic money tree to rival all the crops in Jeremy Corbyn’s allotment, ordinarily Tories would baulk at the idea of a £30billion spending splurge.

As Mr Sunak said himself, however, as he put the compassionate back into Conservative: “People need to know that although hardship lies ahead, no one will be left without hope.

“We entered this crisis unencumbered by dogma and we continue in this spirit, driven always by the simple desire to do what is right.”

It soon became apparent that this wasn’t just about ensuring a V-shaped recovery for the economy, but preventing the nation’s work ethic going completely pear-shaped too.

Insisting that furlough “cannot and should not go on forever”, Mr Sunak confirmed the scheme would be wound up in October rather than allowing “endless extensions” that “give people false hope”. “I believe in the nobility of work,” he added, should anyone be under any illusions that the somewhat socialist offerings so far were in any way at the expense of his innate free market instincts.

As well as acknowledging the uncomfortable truth that some workers have grown overly reliant on the Government subsiding their wages, the move was also designed to assuage backbenchers calling for the

‘Throughout the crisis, Rishi has been doing what’s necessary without all the razzmatazz’

scheme to be wound up by the end of summer.

Perhaps it was no coincidence that the son of a GP and a pharmacist should have resembled a doctor prescribing methadone as he announced not only a new Jobs Retention Bonus, but also other sweeteners in the form of a Kickstart Scheme for the under 25s, Stamp Duty and VAT cuts as well as 50 per cent off eating out.

Although opposition members were quick to point out the flaws in offering the public two Big Macs for the price of one amid a growing obesity crisis, the inventiveness of the offering caused Tory Whatsapp groups to light up with backslapping praise.

Ordinarily Conservatives do not welcome this kind of state intervention – but when it was as time-limited, as Mr Sunak had ensured it was, they appeared willing to relax their trademark fiscal discipline.

Thankfully Mr Sunak’s predecessor, Mr Javid, was on hand to play headmaster, reminding him of the importance of balancing the books by the end of the current parliament.

“Over the medium-term, we must, and we will, put our public finances back on a sustainable footing,” Mr Sunak promised, much to the delight of the bean counters. “MPS were just grateful for a sense of direction out of lockdown rather than going around and round in circles as we have been,” said one veteran Tory afterwards. “Throughout this crisis, Rishi has calmly been doing what’s necessary without all the razzmatazz – he is looking at things that will work rather than make headlines.”

There was also appreciation for the courage of Mr Sunak’s convictions and the “backbone” he has shown in quietly pushing the case for Britain to unlock, although some Conservatives would have liked more help for small and medium sized businesses and the self-employed.

When David Cameron and George Osborne described themselves as “One Nation Conservatives” no one ever quite believed it. Although similarly educated, few could doubt Mr Sunak’s sincerity as he declared: “I want every person in this House and in the country to know that I will never accept unemployment as an unavoidable outcome.”

In urging the public to “find that new balance between safety and normality”, Mr Sunak was not just signalling the start of Britain’s recovery – but it’s renewal.

Yesterday the Chancellor gave permission for Britain to leave its Covid-19 nest. After four months of taking fright, the fightback had begun.