Rishi Sunak has today been re-heating his plans to make maths mandatory and it not the only thing going down well with the nation’s number-crunchers. In accountancy firm Deloitte’s quarterly survey of the UK’s leading Chief Financial Officers (CFOs), business confidence rose significantly at the start of 2023. It marks the largest increase since the Covid vaccine roll-out. Starmer will need to bring out his best canapés to best Rishi in sucking up to his core coalition of corporate elites.

The survey also reflects a positive view from industry leaders on Rishi Sunak’s record in government. Concerns over Brexit frictions have decreased in the wake of improved EU relations and the announcement of the Windsor Framework deal – they’re reaching their lowest level for six years. As expectations for inflation over the next year have also decreased, from 5.8% to 4.2% – meaning executives now expect Rishi to meet his pledge to half inflation. Sum-loving Sunak won’t need his abacus to work out that achieving his other four pledges might not be so easy…