Unchained melody: the chancellor writes his own tune

Another year, another Budget – or so it was meant to be, with just one Budget a year and not until the Autumn. However, with the current cost of living crisis, the chancellor was under pressure to deliver action when he went to the despatch box rather than just report on the economy. Having had to deal with a pandemic, would the chancellor yet again be forced to sing a tune determined by events or would he be able to write his own melody?