The next two weeks will see plentiful speculation as to what sort of rabbits chancellor George Osborne can pull from the Exchequer hat during his Autumn Budget statement on 5 December.

Ahead of March's Budget, the European Union gave Mr Osborne permission to nab the Royal Mail pension fund – a move releasing £28bn with which to pay down the national debt and bring borrowing under the £100bn mark for the first time since the financial crisis began in 2008. However, this particular rabbit came with £37.5bn in long-term liabilities hidden behind its long ears.