It might be the case, in these vexatious political times, that the Conservatives are hoping for some tasty vote-winning offerings from Philip Hammond’s upcoming Autumn Budget.

But the Chancellor’s style has always been steady and unshowy and there is little to suggest he plans to break that habit with any earth-shaking announcements on 22 November. There are, however, some hot topics that he is unlikely to be able to avoid, around student debt, the housing crisis and, of course, Brexit.

So, there is speculation around whether he may move towards…