It is genuinely astonishing that Rachel Reeves isn’t accompanied by the Benny Hill theme at all times. Her ability to harvest the fruit of incompetence is without compare. She is the Nellie Melba of cock-ups, an anti-Midas in a pantsuit and a Lego hairpiece. Really, those of us who take joy from seeing a disaster artist hone their craft ought to have thrown bouquets at her from the gallery. 

Today was a real tour de force. Having trailed for weeks that this would be the Budget that restored her reputation, Reeves managed only to enhance her reputation… for screwing things up. Of course there were some excellent supporting performances; a particular mention has to go to the Office for Budget Responsibility, which hilariously is supposed to keep the UK’s fiscal policy announcements credible. Obviously, they’re a shambles, but then which arm of the comedic and decaying British state isn’t? We’re probably only ever a couple of resignations away from Mr Tumble becoming the Rail Ombudsman. 

Anyway, the OBR, hothouse of credibility that it is, managed to release its response to the Budget before Playmobil Rach had even stood up. So the news had passed to her – via the medium of whichever hand puppet or junior treasury minister it is that civil servants use to break her bad news – by the time she stood up to tell the House what everyone now knew anyway. She looked shell-shocked. In the background Yakety Sax played softly in the minor key. 

Labour MPs had clearly been briefed to turn up........

© The Spectator