In his entire hour-long first Budget speech, UK chancellor Philip Hammond avoided saying 'Brexit'.

And the reason is clear. Thin on substance, literally thin on page count, the budget papers showed an economy in fair health, albeit with public services groaning under the cumulative effects of 7 years of austerity (aka, traditional Conservative small-government policy).

But there was a huge question mark over its future.

These days the government bows to the Office for Budget Responsibility for independent analysis of public finances.

But the OBR in its budget report confessed "there is no meaningful basis for predicting the precise end-point of the [Brexit] negotiations".

"There is also considerable uncertainty about the economic and fiscal implications of different outcomes."

So the OBR spun around twice, spat on its hands, closed its eyes, threw some darts at an invisible dartboard, and concluded there was a "roughly 65 per cent chance" that the deficit would be down to the government's target by 2020-21.

You might as well flip a coin.

Right at the beginning of his speech, Hammond framed his Budget as "a strong and stable platform" for "our negotiations to exit the European Union".

And that was his last, glancing reference to the biggest, wrenching, most fundamental change to the economy this century, coming in just two years' time.

The omission was an admission: that all they can do now is batten down the hatches: break a manifesto promise with a modest tax rise, throw a few crumbs to the screaming-with-need health services and social services, divvy up a few industry stimulus funds??? and wait???

On Wednesday afternoon, after the budget speech in parliament, foreign media reporters were treated to a brief briefing from Baroness Neville-Rolfe, commercial secretary to the Treasury.

A former civil servant, she moved to the private sector for almost two decades, including time on the board of supermarket giant Tesco, before joining the House of Lords and moving into the ministry.

She has a blue streak in her hair and a matter-of-fact style.

And she had a go at delivering the government's 'ready for Brexit' budget spin.

"It is preparing us for a truly global Britain so we can compete internationally??? by laying the foundations for a stronger, a fairer, a better Britain outside the EU," she said

So I asked her what in the Budget would have been different, had Britain not voted to leave the EU.

"We have a new prime minister and a new chancellor, so that's one change," she said. "That in turn has led to a change of the budget. We have a slim budget now."

Then there was a bit of vague talk about preparing for a global Britain, and a mention of future free trade talks with Australia "whilst not forgetting our relationship with the European Union".

Again, what she didn't - couldn't - say, spoke volumes.

"We are trying to keep some flexibility because we don't exactly know what's going to happen," she said. "There are uncertainties but we're trying to move forward in a way that helps to improve the economy.

"We are still in that wait and see period. A lot depends on where we end up in the Brexit negotiations."

Asked if she was confident there would be no economic damage done by a 'hard Brexit', or if no trade deal with the EU was reached before the UK left the union, the baroness was frank.

"I think the answer is 'we don't know'. What we can do is get the economy fighting fit so the fundamentals are strong??? we are keeping some leeway so if we do need to invest more in the economy we can do that."

The government doesn't want to be seen as building a 'Brexit warchest'. Its large deficit and debt don't really allow that interpretation anyway.

At the moment the UK government is a driver on the freeway, at night in heavy rain, worried about changing lanes, tentative on the accelerator pedal, cautious on the brakes, and peering through the blurry windscreen at an invisible future.