For all the expectation management about a disastrous economic inheritance and the fabled 22bn fiscal black hole, the sheer lack of money and tight constraints over tax rises mean that however well Reeves presents her choices, many of them will be painful. Several Labour MPs have privately expressed worry about how the image of the government might emerge post-budget, given the inevitably slow pace of tackling the crisis in the NHS.
It's going to be really hard to explain the so-called boost to the NHS which doesn't really touch the sides of what's needed, alongside the cuts they've already planned to winter fuel payments and the two-child benefit cap which will undoubtedly put more pressure on the NHS. Another added: Our campaign was focused on change.
If they're going to make the tough announcements early with things like the winter fuel payment, they need to be confident and give people some hope on Wednesday. There will be some positive stories to push from the budget, the first presented by a female chancellor.
Health spending in particular is tipped to rise, and changes to the government's fiscal rules on debt set out this week by Reeves will open the taps on tens of billions of pounds more in much-needed infrastructure spending. Perhaps most politically useful of all will be the end of the 17-week gap between the election and the budget.
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