Much of the Burnham project depends on how the budget is received, as promise of ‘breathing space’ is a two-way street

• You be the chancellor: play our budget game to see if you can balance the books

Every Sunday night, the chancellor, John Healey, slips next door to Andy Burnham’s Downing Street flat where they order a curry and chew over politics on the prime minister’s sofa.

A takeaway Indian is one of the totemic issues in British politics, a “treat” fewer people can afford, like a pint at the football or soft play for the kids.