With just one week until the budget – what levers are left for the Chancellor to pull to plug the black hole in the public finances?  Sam and Anne assess the current economic outlook and explore what tax options are on the table for Rachel Reeves and whether a set of announcements could alleviate some of the pressure on her.  Elsewhere, the Westminster village braces itself for the political report into the UK’s decision making and governance during the Covid pandemic.  Plus, how significant is it that the government has named China in the latest attack on the British political system to recruit potential spies?