As Chief Secretary to the Treasury, my first responsibility is to the taxpayer. Every pound that comes into the Exchequer was earned by someone through hard work, and could have been used for a new car, a holiday or a treat for the children.

2019 is a big year for British politics. As we leave the European Union, we have an opportunity to set out a new economic agenda, leaving the era of post-crash consolidation and recovery behind and entering a new era of growth and opportunity for Britain.

Politics used to be a man’s game: in the early 20th century, parliament was a club to which women were not invited. Laws were made by men, for men.

"Take Back Control” was the Brexit clarion call. Politicians must heed the demand. 2019 will see us return many powers from Brussels to Westminster. But this year we should honour that command domestically, too. 

On a recent trip to the USA, I took a detour to the heart of rustbelt America to see how the great cities of Cleveland and Detroit are reinventing themselves after decades of industrial decline.

When I moved to Scotland at the age of four, I was enrolled in the West Primary School in Paisley. A few years later, at the time of the 1983 general election, my teacher asked me if I wanted to play the role of Margaret Thatcher in our class equivalent.

The importance of our relationship with America cannot be understated. With Anglo-American capitalism increasingly under attack, those who believe in the power of free markets and enterprise to create wealth and social progress must stand up and be counted and champion our way of life.

In January I swiped my thumb, took the plunge and changed my Instagram settings from private to public. Entering a world washed in the Clarendon filter, I went Truss Unchained. 

From the coffee bars of Camden to the gin joints of Norfolk – across Britain, a revolution is brewing. And no, it’s not John McDonnell’s bitter socialist hooch. It’s a generation growing up with an entirely different view of the world – free thinking, optimistic and hungry for success. 

Next week the chancellor will deliver the spring statement. But there will be no red box, no rabbits out of the hat and no tax changes.