• WAS it any surprise to hear the ear-splitting squealing from the well-heeled that Rachel Reeves’s budget produced?

Those who went to private schools, fly across the world in private jets and spent their weekends in their second homes have much to gripe about. As do landowners who hide their wealth in giant farms, who will lose many tax privileges.

But for the majority of us there was so much to celebrate.

— Cash for the National Health Service, with an extra £22.6billion. If services can be reformed waiting times will start falling, just as they did when Labour was last in power.

— Free breakfast clubs in thousands of primary schools, 6,500 new teachers and essential repairs.

— Real boosts for the low waged, with the National Living Wage up to £12.21 an hour.

These were essential, but so is the boost to investment. Without it we will continue to struggle as a country.

Higher taxes can only go so far. We need to earn the spending we must now make.

Here again the record was impressive.

— The National Wealth Fund will leverage tens of billions of pounds of private investment into clean energy and growth industries, including green hydrogen, carbon capture and giga factories.

— The British Business Bank will support the UK’s fastest growing, most innovative companies with £3.5billion for over 23,000 businesses.

— Great British Energy, will get £8.3billion over this parliament to provide secure supplies at lower costs.

All of this was achieved without upsetting the international markets, and winning a rare endorsement from the International Monetary Fund.

Oh, and beer came down by a penny. Cheers!

MARTIN PLAUT, NW5