The Treasury on Rishi Sunak's watch has become somewhat of a Ministry of Magic – whatever the issue, this Chancellor has seemingly been on hand and ready to pull the proverbial rabbit out of the hat.
At the outset of the Covid crisis, Sunak conjured up the furlough and self-employment support schemes in a matter of days, unprecedented amounts of cash were found for the NHS and lifeline loan schemes were set up for businesses.
Up to now, our man in the Treasury has been blessed with the Midas touch. But sloshing the dosh is easy, turning the spending taps off is hard.
READ MORE: Martin Lewis says 'catastrophic' cost of living rise is worst UK has faced in 22 year
And this afternoon, Sunak for the first time faced the accusation that he had fallen short on the cost of living crisis.
The Treasury's often used tactic of denying there would be any major announcements, only to announce a raft of measures on fuel duty and national insurance inevitably led to Tory backbench delight, but out in the broader country many will feel the offer doesn't go far enough.
With households facing the biggest plunge in living standards in fifty years, opposition MPs were calling on the Chancellor to be bold today.
But the package offered little to those relying on means-tested benefits. Paul Johnson, the director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies thinktank, said benefits were going up by just over 3% next month at a time when claimants were facing cost of living increases of about 10%.
And the independent Office for Budget Responsibility warned that even after the measures announced in the mini budget, households would still see a dramatic fall in their living standards this year.
Sunak, who is renowned for his slick social media posts, may want to avoid the comments section as bills start to really bite.
What is happening where you live? Find out by adding your postcode or visit InYourArea
