Edward Boyd

Not that he made much of a fuss about it, but Philip Hammond made a bit of history in his Budget speech yesterday. He spoke, as usual, about the main rates of tax. But then he mentioned a different one: the taper, or the effective tax rate, that faces those in low paid work. It was 65 per cent, he said, and he wanted it cut to 63 per cent. It was significant: a single parent with one child (with no housing costs) on £15k will be £170 a year better off. A couple with two children, with one parent earning £30k (with housing costs) will be £425 a year better off. But the fact that he mentioned it at all is hugely important.

As the wave of rioting and looting swept through London earlier this month it was disturbing to see how the actions of a minority could engender fear and disorder on such a grand scale. As the dust settles and the reality of this episode fades away, there is a simple fact that is at risk of being buried under the heap of condemnation of criminals and praise for the police – namely, that such a relatively small number (just over 2,000 were arrested in London out of a population of 8 million) of people deployed themselves so effectively as to bring London to its knees.