It was always going to be an interesting day, and so it proved. It was of course Budget day and Rishi Sunak had a horribly short time to prepare for it, having taken over from Sajid Javid only weeks before. At 1130 I was in the Chamber for Prayers, which you must attend if you are to keep your seat on the Green Benches. My colleague Neil Parish didn't have a seat but was No 2 on the list to ask a question to the PM. I lent him my seat until he'd asked his question. Just after 1330 PMQs ended and the Chancellor stood up to deliver the Budget. It was an impressive performance, delivered faultlessly and convincingly. The detail is also on my website. The Chancellor spoke for just over an hour and huge amounts of money were promised in nearly every area of government. Significantly, he announced a £30 billion package to tackle coronavirus and all the consequences of it in areas like health and business. With record low interest rates, the Chancellor clearly thought now was the time to make a huge investment in UK plc. When Mr Sunak sat down there was a rousing cheer, with Labour MPs looking very down in the mouth. Corbyn's reply was inadequate, weak and he looked a tired man. A desk lunch and then into the first meeting of our European Scrutiny Committee in CR19. Sir William Cash was soon voted back as Chairman and for an hour he went through some committee detail, especially for new members. With the UK still in the EU legally until December, we will have a significant role to ensure unwanted laws do not slip through the net. The House dropped to one line after the Front Bench speeches and at 1730 I headed for Dorset.