Labour backbenchers had been queueing up since 8.30am to get their place in history. Within minutes even the standing room was gone.
The Tory MPs, not so much. Ten minutes before the largely pointless prime minister's questions began there were still plenty of seats free on the opposition side. One of the upsides of only having 121 MPs is that there is no premium on space. Up in the gallery, Theresa May sat impassively, apart from the odd shake of the head. The Maybot never gives much away.
Once the formalities of PMQs were over, the speaker - as is traditional on budget day - made way for his deputy, Nusrat Ghani. On his way out, Lindsay Hoyle whispered "good luck" to Rachel Reeves. She was going to need it.
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