It was a budget blow for 2 and a half million people - the increase in national insurance for the self-employed. The tax hike was more controversial by a 2015 election manifesto pledge not to increase National Insurance.
Now the Chancellor's announcement is causing a row in his own party, with some Conservative MPs joining Labour in calling for a rethink. They say it'll be hairdressers, builders and the white van man who'll be hit the hardest. But Phillip Hammond, in Birmingham today to promote the West Midlands powerhouse, is still defending it.