Anneliese Dodds failed her first serious test as shadow chancellor

Pretending to support your opponent’s objectives – while concluding that they have failed to be wholly successful in delivering them – is the way to win debates, writes John Rentoul

Anneliese Dodds, left, relied heavily on cliche when responding to Rishi Sunak's statement (Reuters)

It is unfortunate for Anneliese Dodds that she is up against the most impressive politician in the government. Both the chancellor and his shadow are inexperienced. This time last year Rishi Sunak was a junior minister for local government; she was a junior member of John McDonnell’s shadow treasury team.

This year, Sunak found himself lifted to the second most important post in government just as the coronavirus crisis was breaking; a few weeks later, Dodds was unexpectedly promoted to oppose him.

There the parallel ends. While Sunak has shone in the limelight, Dodds has not. Yesterday, the chancellor judged the House of Commons well. With a serious tone of bipartisan reasonableness – “unencumbered by dogma” – he set out measures that had been trailed in advance with a couple of populist surprises (the VAT cut for hospitality and the half-price meal deal) that were well received.