Tories must restore economic credibility to win election as Hunt rejects calls for tax cuts

Chancellor’s upbeat note in budget delivery was echoed by safe-seat Tory MPs but “red wall” are less happy

At a drinks party in Downing Street a few weeks after he took over as chancellor last year, Jeremy Hunt told his guests: “Sometimes doing the popular thing isn’t the right thing.”

Ever since he was handed the keys to the Treasury, first by Liz Truss and then Rishi Sunak, Hunt’s overwhelming priority has been to restore the Tories’ reputation for economic competence.