Tory "Furore" Looms If Spring Budget Doesn't Shift the Dial

Conservative backbench "furore" awaits Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt if next week's Spring Budget does not go far enough to satisfy their long-standing desire for tax cuts.

On Wednesday afternoon, Hunt will present the House of Commons with his highly-anticipated Spring Budget, and volatile Tory MPs on the benches behind him will be listening extra carefully. 

While all fiscal events are major occasions in the Westminster calendar, next week the stakes will be higher than ever for the government, with Tory MPs in general agreement that it could mark a pivotal moment for the Conservative party in its bid to avoid a catastrophic defeat to Labour at the next general election, which must be called before the end of this year.

One former Cabinet minister said if the Government's updated economic agenda doesn't "shift the dial" in the opinion polls, then it will be time to accept that being booted out of Government is a forgone conclusion. 

Hunt used last year's Autumn Statement to whet the appetites of backbenchers who were hungry for tax cuts by reducing National Insurance by two per cent. But while Tory MPs welcomed the move, they warned they would only be fully satisfied if further reductions followed in the Spring. 

One senior Conservative predicted there would be a backbench "furore" next week if Tories feel Sunak and Hunt had not gone far enough to lower taxes — which despite the steps taken in the Autumn Budget, remains on course to reach its highest level in the post-war period. 

But with the economy still flailing, Hunt's options remain limited, leaving him torn between whether to announce further reductions to National Insurance contributions, or instead target income tax for a headline Budget