It took Rachel Reeves just 72 hours to break cover – her mask has well and truly slipped

It took Rachel Reeves just 72 hours to break cover.

After just three days in the job she is already laying the groundwork for putting up taxes.

First, say you have finally been able to look under the bonnet and don’t like what you see.

Next, blame the previous government for wrecking public services and point out the situation is at its worst for 80 years.

Then give the public, who just voted you into government, a stark choice - tax rises or public service cuts.

Straight out of the Labour textbook.

Both Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt warned it would happen during the general election campaign.

“As sure as night follows day” Labour will put up taxes, they said.

The new Chancellor raised fears by revealing she has already ordered Treasury bean-counters to compile a dossier on the current state of play over the coming three weeks.

She will report their findings to MPs before the summer recess.

It all points to a series of tax hikes - possibly as much as £15 billion - in an autumn budget.

Ms Reeves broke new ground on Monday as she made her first major speech as Chancellor - the first woman ever to do so.

A historic moment, undoubtedly.

But despite the repeated promises of “change”, history repeated itself as she rolled out the perennial promise, to build at least 300,000 new homes a year.

The last time this was achieved was in 1977 - two years before Ms Reeves was born.

Every government from James Callaghan’s to Mr Sunak’s has tried and failed to meet the target.

Ms Reeves certainly means business and it’s apparent she wants to get cracking straight away.

Her no-frills press conference, in an elaborately columned Treasury room, left the watching media, business leaders and Cabinet members in no doubt about that.

Ultimately, she will be judged by numbers.

72-hours in and it appears those numbers may well be in the form of tax rises.