Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised “more to come” after cutting National Insurance in November

To govern is to choose. But in the last couple of weeks, you would be forgiven for wondering if our politicians can make decisions at all.

In January, the Conservatives were dangling the possibility of more tax cuts in the Budget in a few weeks.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised “more to come” after cutting National Insurance in November. Leaving more in your pay packet was his “clear priority”.

Just weeks ago, in the snowy surrounds of the millionaires’ mini break in Davos, the chancellor implied lower taxes were coming with the odd nudge and wink.

But now the chequebook seems to have gone back in the pocket of the prime minister’s expensively-cut suit.

Talk of that ultimate jargon “headroom” – hypothetical spare cash the Treasury can use – has dried up.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is instead telling anyone who will listen that he probably cannot give you anything back after all.

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Labour is inching closer to scrapping its pledge to invest £28bn a year in green projects – after months of dismissing the suggestion as nonsense.

Whispers of the number vanishing from Labour’s plans after the Budget seem set to come true.

Interviewers strive to come up with ever more ingenious ways to force shadow ministers to admit the figure is doomed.

In both cases there are logical reasons for and against each plan.

For the Tories, of course instinctively they all want to cut taxes. Backbenchers have a vigorous appetite for cuts.

But the tax burden in the UK is at its highest level since records began 70 years ago.

A cabinet minister told me the prime minster and chancellor want to give “robust clarity” and leave the public in no doubt they will cut tax as soon as they can.

The counter argument to cutting tax?

Money is extremely tight. There is not much cash down the back of the sofa.

Shaving public spending and squeezing efficiency from taxpayers’ money are both hard to do.

And the economic picture changes so fast.

No 11 Downing Street might have even less to play with than it looked like at the start of the year.

It is hard to get a consensus out of economists on what to do next. Some advocate tax cuts to pick up a flat economy, while others argue now is not the time.