Early indications of what might be in this autumn statement do not bode well

Editorial: An inheritance tax cut combined with a mean-minded squeeze on benefits would be a disastrous choice

The first measure of Wednesday’s autumn statement is an assault on the poor (AP)

A year ago, Jeremy Hunt restored order to the public finances, ensuring that those with the broadest shoulders carried the heaviest burden. He extended the top rate of income tax to everyone earning more than £125,000 a year. He extended the windfall tax on oil and gas companies.

He made sure that the Treasury chart of the “distributional impact” of all his tax rises showed that those on higher incomes paid a greater share of their incomes than the lower paid.

That is why it is surprising and disappointing that the first measure of Wednesday’s autumn statement that has been pre-announced by the chancellor is a mean-minded assault on the poor. On Friday, Mr Hunt said that he would be changing the rules to deny free prescriptions to benefit claimants who fail to show that they are actively seeking work.