Rachel Reeves left the country – and the markets – guessing over the summer. Rather than announcing the date of the autumn Budget before Parliament broke up for its holidays, as is normal, she kept silent about her plans for six long weeks.

The Chancellor has now broken cover, announcing that the Budget will take place on 26 November – about the latest possible date that it could be , without slipping into winter and risking “nightmare before Christmas” headlines.

But the damage has already been done. Reeves and her aides have allowed speculation to fly, and there is already a real-world effect on businesses, workers and investors.

Last week, shares in Britain’s biggest banks – shares included in the pension funds of most UK workers – fell by as much as 5 per cent following rumours t

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