It has been a bracing week for accountants who follow the news. Last week Prime Minister Theresa May announced that her government would be ‘coming after’ finance professionals who help ‘people to avoid what they owe to society.’ This week May’s Chancellor Philip Hammond has allegedly been in the firing line from Conservative Cabinet colleagues for ‘acting like an accountant’ for advising caution in Brexit negotiations.

At the same time, many professional accountants might also feel there is nothing new about such pronouncements, and may even feel a degree of pride that the Chancellor of the Exchequer (not actually a qualified accountant) stands accused of possessing the strategic insight and forward-thinking approach associated with the profession.