All conjecture at this point, but the govt “people handling” playbook is offer a catastrophe, then water it down to a calamity, which we take thinking we were lucky…followed by misdirection..oh, look, a squirrel…
That’s certainly the approach taken by all governments before a budget. Leak something horrendous that’s never going to happen, so that when some bad news is announced we are just grateful that it wasn’t worse. They think we are all stupid not to see through it.