Of all the pledges in George Osborne’s budget announcement today, the most surprising appeared to be that of the sugar tax. As the tax was unexpected — given that it has been heavily disputed in the past — it will likely get top billing in the Budget coverage in tomorrow’s papers.
So, could there be more than meets the eye to the announcement? Given that there was plenty of bad economic news in the Budget — with growth down and extra cuts announced — the sugar tax conveniently distracts from some of the more negative news. While Mr S can’t claim to be one of Osborne’s closest confidantes, happily one such man appeared on the BBC to offer some insight into the decision.
Speaking to Huw Edwards on the BBC, Osborne’s former chief of staff Rupert Harrison appeared to admit that the sugar tax was part of a stunt to distract from other more negative Budget news:
HE: Just some thoughts from you on the way these things are planned. Is it your view that when they were looking at this Budget and the likely impact of it — certainly in news terms because let’s be honest that’s part of the calculation — that sugar initiative, if I can put it like that, is it the assumption in the Treasury that that would dominate people’s talk following this budget and that might be then rather helpful?
RH: I mean I think we probably all assume that, in terms of front pages and most of the newspapers and the impact on most peoples’ lives.
It’s a very interesting one, because there’s been a lot of debate in the government, some of it quite noisy and public about whether to go ahead an do this. This was a measure that’s got enormous amounts of support in the public health community and a lot of high profile campaigners. A lot of people had been thinking the government wasn’t going to do this so whether that’s been long planned or just a late decision we don’t know.
With Harrison appearing oblivious that he may have said too much for his former boss’s liking, the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg was on hand to point out that he had spoken rather candidly:
‘Worth noting Rupert being admirably candid but maybe unusually unhelpful to his former boss by admitting just how much the calculation here is about what’s going to create a splash the next day.’
Mr S suspects that Osborne won’t be overly delighted by Harrison’s growing media profile.
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