By Richard Holden

The chaos emanating from Rachel Reeves’ Budget preparations is now rippling through every major sector of the economy, choking confidence and bringing investment decisions to a grinding halt.

From transport and infrastructure to manufacturing and export, uncertainty has become the defining feature of this Carry On Government, defined by U-turn after U-turn and policy announcements made on the hoof.

As Shadow Transport Secretary, I see the real-world consequences of this instability day in, day out.

Last week I spent many hours meeting with some of the UK’s leading car manufacturers, from British brands with generations-old reputations to giants within the European automotive sector.

Ahead of this week’s Budget, I wanted to get a clearer sense of how they were feeling about the Government’s economic direction.

Like businesses across the country, they are reeling from the ramifications of the Treasury’s self-sabotaging briefings, where one disastrous tax-raising policy after another has been unceremoniously shoved out, with enough policy kites in the air to resemble the closing scene of Mary Poppins.

Far from reassurance, what these companies feel is an overwhelming dread and a deep and genuine unease at........

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