George Osborne is the most interesting political figure of our age. He has morphed from a clever political tactician, masterminding short-term partisan hits, to a thoughtful political strategist, with a long-term vision for the country. He has grown in government more than any other cabinet minister, acquiring a sense of purpose about rebalancing the country for the modern age. What he still lacks, though, is empathy — the ability to win people over by persuading them he understands how they feel.

Politics is about emotion at least as much as it is about power and, if the chancellor wants to become prime minister, he must show he has a heart as well as a head. His mistake over tax credits was to treat it as