In government, confidence counts. To be blunt, seldom has a Chancellor appeared so ill at ease and disquieted as Rachel Reeves delivering her Spring Statement.

Every Chancellor has a style. William Ewart Gladstone used to go on so long that the House craved an end to the barrage of facts, figures and philosophy. Anything. Just make him stop.

“Spreadsheet Phil” Hammond cultivated a reputation for dry, droll delivery. So outwardly dull that one gained an impression of solidity and control, lurking beneath the enervating tedium.

Gordon Brown was master of the sprung disclosure. “I have nothing more to offer the House except...” There then followed his big announcement, accompanied by a wry Broon smile.

But times change. This is, as Rachel Reeves constantly reminds us, a different world. The only snag for Ms Reeves is that she is palpably struggling to keep up.

Look at the immediate aftermath to her statement. (And, no, it was not the Emergency Budget claimed by the Tories, although one can appreciate the rhetorical device, as one can the sarky jibes from Mel Stride, the Shadow Chancellor, about Ms Reeves’ CV.)

Not long after the Chancellor sat down, Donald Trump announced a 25 per cent tariff on cars and car parts, to include UK sales to the US. Paul Johnson, the director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, put things rather neatly. “There is a good chance that economic forecasts will deteriorate”. I reckon they already have.

The consequence? According to the IFS, it is a “coin toss” as to whether the Chancellor will continue to meet her self-imposed fiscal rules, which specify that current spending........

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