Philip Hammond in withering put-downs to Jeremy Corbyn as he delivers his first budget
IT seems Philip Hammond is the master of expectation management.
There wasn’t a huge amount expected from his first Budget, but a gag-a-thon was very far down the list.
Far from being the dour bean-counter that many paint the Chancellor, “Big Phil”- as one attempted re-brand called him - was actually rather funny.
It was a cutting Budget speech, and not just when it came to numbers.
MOST READ IN POLITICS
Nicknamed “Spreadsheet Phil” by friends and foes across Whitehall alike, the Chancellor played to his strengths when it came to reeling off of statistics: "This is the spreadsheet bit but bear with me, I have a reputation to defend.”
He even managed to force a gag out at that well known stand up topic - hitting the three per cent EU stability rule.
“I won’t hold my breath for my congratulatory letter from Jean Claude Juncker," he quipped.
But it was the Labour Party that came under the most attack from some dry comic timing - “by the way, they don’t call it the last Labour government for nothing.” Boom, tish.
"The leader opposite, who is so far down the black hole that even Stephen Hawking has disowned him” - try the veal!
“The one place I am not going to hear the voice of business is the benches opposite”, ta dum.
Driverless cars? "A technology I think the party opposite knows something about" under Jeremy Corbyn - thank you I’m here till Friday.
One over-excited member of the Government benches even cried out “cheer up Diane” in the direction of a sad-looking Diane Abbott after one particular zinger.
While the Tories were loving it, Jeremy Corbyn adopted his favourite sucking on a wasp face.
Although the Chancellor saved his best joke for last - leaving Jeremy Corbyn to defend the entrepreneurs, strivers and small business owners he whacked with a tax hike.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368
