PDEL, which will ringfence money for preventive policies, marks a welcome and potentially consequential addition John Healey’s debut budget was far from a blockbuster, but it may come to be remembered for the birth of a plucky new character in the tax and spend universe – little PDEL.

Also readThe US-China trade war seems to have subsided – but the sense of calm is misleading

It may not have the charm of Disney’s Wall-E, but PDEL (pronounced P-Del), or preventative departmental expenditure limit, to give it its full name, marks a welcome, and potentially very consequential, addition. Continue reading...

Also readFashion and tradition: how John Smedley is innovating in a tough market