Nanny Osborne’s sugar tax was brought in because the Treasury believes “that tax effects behaviour. So let’s tax the things we want to reduce.” By the same logic, surely Osborne should be fighting hefty EU sugar subsidies. Extended to go on until 2020 despite opposition from Oxfam and the WTO, the EU heavily subsidises sugar producers and exporters. Mega-corporation Tate & Lyle Europe has received a whopping €594,270,084 since the sugar subsidies began in 1999, with the EU currently guaranteeing a price of beet sugar at €26.29, while white sugar will fetch a guaranteed €404.40 per tonne. Sugar producers get a sweet deal from the EU.

If Osborne believes in taxing things to suppress demand, why is he subsidising the same things? By ensuring the price of sugar, the EU encourages sugar consumption, yet the Chancellor still won’t withdraw support for the generous subsidies…