We Shall See His Like Again, and Again

Evidently the detractors of the Chancellor's latest exercise in Osbornomic self-promotion spoke too soon; no budget can be called a complete failure if it results in Iain Duncan Smith flouncing out of the Cabinet. The brilliant Duncan Smith, whose major achievement was being indisputably the stupidest minister in a government that variously included Owen Paterson, Liz Truss, Chris Graybeing, Maria Miller and sundry Liberal Democrats, managed as a final coruscation to resign some hours after the Bullingdons decided to reconsider the PIP cuts which were the pretext for the flounce. Indeed, so brilliant is Duncan Smith that he probably considers himself a possible representative of compassionate cripple-kicking in a post-Brexit administration, always assuming he does not intend a re-run of his grotesque attempt at leading the party.

His replacement is Stephen Crabb, another "committed Christian" whose patronage of a disability charity is already subject to a petition for his removal in light of the PIP cuts. During the expenses scandal it emerged that Crabb had refurbished his London flat on the taxpayers' tab and then sold the flat at a profit; he also flipped his second-home expenses to chisel a further £10,500 or so for a house in Pembrokeshire. His other achievements include being a querulous god-botherer and fronting a career-building exercise in Rwanda for the likes of Francis Maude and Jeremy Hunt. It remains to be seen whether he can plumb the wondrous depths of his predecessor, but the signs are certainly promising.