Jeremy Hunt will try to talk a long game while scrambling to fund pre-election tax cuts | Larry Elliott

The chancellor should stress tax cuts are neither affordable nor a priority to UK voters

• What Hunt needs to do - and the pitfalls he must avoid
• Hunt's local voters put NHS ahead of tax perks
• Chancellor knows Brexit Britain can't afford to cut taxes'

When Clement Attlee took soundings from his cabinet on the timing of the 1950 election, the then chancellor, Sir Stafford Cripps, was adamant. The Labour government had to go to the country before the budget so that voters did not think the decisions made had been taken with polling day in mind.

Those were the days. As the 2024 budget approaches on Wednesday, the assumption is that Jeremy Hunt will do his utmost to deliver a crowd-pleasing package of tax cuts.