Rishi Sunak has barely had a quiet moment since becoming UK chancellor just over a year ago.
He had only three weeks to prepare for his first Budget, unveiled on the cusp of the coronavirus crisis, and since then has agreed to spend about £280bn providing emergency support for the economy.
In his March 3 Budget, Sunak is preparing what he hopes will be one final slug of support, as he also puts Britain on notice of tax rises to pay for the Covid-19 pandemic. Below are five things to watch out for on Wednesday.
1. Outlook for economy and public finances
The Treasury will be surveying the lasting damage after the UK economy in 2020 suffered its worst downturn in more than 300 years.
That pain is now largely in the past and much of the economic and fiscal news in forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility, the UK fiscal watchdog, will be relatively good.
The OBR will predict the fastest economic growth in 2021 for almost 50 years, with the deficit in 2020-21…