The Chancellor’s Spring Statement is set to be a rather succinct affair, it was suggested this week.
Philip Hammond is due to present his next financial statement on 13 March.
But The Independent has reported that the speech will be rather more concise than MPs and journalists have become accustomed to, perhaps lasting as little as 15 minutes.
There had already been a number of off-the-record briefings that the Statement would restrict itself to a brief update on the state of the economy, primarily comprising of the latest financial projections.
And this week’s report would seem to all but confirm that no new tax or spending announcements would be made next month.
It would appear that Mr Hammond is keen to return to the old system where the Treasury makes just the one substantial financial statement every 12 months.
This bucks the trend of recent years in which the Chancellor has made major announcements in both the spring and autumn, with the two speeches having become increasingly indistinguishable
This new approach would mean a number of changes to the way that both Westminster and the wider business community treat the announcement.
It seems likely Mr Hammond won’t bother to pose for photos outside Downing Street and the usual flurry of suggestions by leading business bodies and trade organisations is likely to be curtailed.