Richard Buxton: Is there light at the end of the tunnel for UK plc?

Judging by the volley of upbeat remarks concluding the chancellor's first spring statement, Phillip Hammond was in something of an upbeat mood. We are, allegedly, a country that works for everyone … a beacon of enterprise and innovation. An outward looking, free-trading nation and one confident our best days lie ahead of us … Large swathes of disgruntled voters at the last general election would suggest others are less convinced, of course. Still, while the delivery was upbeat, the content was decidedly thin. The clue is in the name - it was, after all, a statement, not a budget. That...