I am inclined to agree with the view of The Times that the government should not get bogged down in the argument about the impact of the June budget on the poor. The IFS is probably correct in its analysis suggesting that this was not really a “progressive” budget in the technical sense – although the IFS analysis is also limited in that it does not model second-order consequences as people adapt to tax and benefit changes. This argument could run and run and detracts from the whole point of the budget – to get a grip on our huge fiscal deficit. It’s basically a party-political argument and the government should politely but decisively move the agenda on.