Spring statement: what to expect and why it will be a drop in the ocean

It has been billed as the ‘once in a lifetime chance for Sunak to alter our economy for the better’. But what exactly can the chancellor deliver for fearful consumers in today’s Budget?

How will the chancellor help ordinary households? (PA)

Today’s not-quite-Budget might be the most hotly anticipated in years.

And for those now facing or fearing serious everyday financial challenges, it’s painfully appropriate that it comes the same day that the latest inflation figures are released – and in the middle of Debt Awareness Week too.

As before, chancellor Rishi Sunak has another almost impossible job on his hands. Deliver a robust post-Covid recovery against the backdrop of conflict in Europe, and alleviate the now dire straits facing millions of Britons at the same time.