Why was ‘Barbie’ in the autumn statement? Yeah, I’m confused about that, too…

Jeremy Hunt dolled up Britain’s part in this summer’s feelgood hit – but the truth is we’re more in the red than the pink, writes Chris Blackhurst

Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie in Barbie, which was partly filmed in Watford and contributed £80m to the economy (Warner Bros)

It’s not what the chancellor revealed in his autumn statement that’s important – it’s what he chose not to share with us. 

On one level, his words were full of promise and optimism. There were 110 measures to promote economic growth. Wow, 110! What were they, exactly? Ah, well, he would rather spare us the actual detail…

The economy is flatlining, and Jeremy Hunt claims to have a panacea – a veritable cocktail of 110 ingredients – but he won’t tell us what’s in the glass!