Sajid Javid has only added to Brexit turmoil by delaying the budget | Richard Partington

When economy needs leadership, No 11 occupant cements reputation as 'chancellor only in name' instead

It was supposed to be the event to end austerity. A budget to turn the page; to enact the "people's priorities", with everything to like and nothing to hate. But what should have been a pivotal moment for a country tired of austerity, Brexit and political chaos became another moment of shambles for Sajid Javid instead.

In yet another example of Brexit derailing the usual functioning of government, the chancellor confirmed he would scrap his set-piece tax and spending event on 6 November. The launch of a hypothetical election trumped a hypothetical budget, to denude the country of vital clarity, spending detail and the commitments required to steady a rapidly weakening economy.