Jeremy Hunt shot Labour’s fox. Does Rachel Reeves have a plan B?

By abolishing non-dom status in his Budget, the chancellor has stolen the key source of revenue that Labour needed to pay for its manifesto promises, writes John Rentoul

Keir Starmer and his shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, will have to find new revenue streams to fund their election pledges (Aaron Chown/PA Wire)

Keir Starmer had an easy time with one of the most difficult gigs in modern politics. By convention, the leader of the opposition, rather than the shadow chancellor, responds to Budget speeches.

This means having to react to important announcements within minutes of their being made – and often means committing the opposition to support or oppose particular measures.

It was easier for Starmer this year for several reasons. One was that the Scottish National Party, fighting its guerrilla war against the Commons speaker who denied it a vote on its Gaza motion last month, forced a division immediately after the chancellor had spoken. That gave Starmer a valuable 15 minutes to prepare.