but the backdrop is key here. living standards are squeezed. and the tax burden still growing. i was feeling sick, anxious of everything around me. and i've been finding out how doctors have been prescribing more than medicine to those struggling with the cost of living. also tonight — the first israeli hostages should be released tomorrow during a four day pause in fighting, after a deal is struck with hamas. 50 of them — mainly women and children — will be allowed to leave gaza in return for 150 palestinian prisoners. and tributes to the four teenagers found dead in a car yesterday, after going camping in north wales. and on bbc london. what could the chancellor's announcement mean for the capital? plus tackling knife crime. we spend time with outreach workers trying to keep young people safe.

good evening from hull. we are at the streetlife museum, which celebrates this great port city's economy and transport. we've been listening here to the chancellorjeremy hunt in his autumn statement unveiling his tax and spending plans for the year ahead — including measures affecting the take—home pay and household budgets of millions of people. we'll hear from our political editor chris mason and our economics editor faisal islam, and our cost of living correspondent colletta smith is here in hull with me. but first, let's look at some of the measures announced. there'll be tax cuts — including a cut in national insurance from 12% to 10% for 27 million people. the state pension will increase by 8.5%, and universal credit and disability benefits

will rise by 6.7%. but those on welfare must take a work placement if they are still looking for a job after 18 months — or risk losing their benefits. and the overall picture for growth is gloomy — the independent watchdog, the obr, says its forecasts for growth are sharply lower than predicted — and that's for the next two years. the obr also says that despite today's tax cuts the overall tax burden is set to rise to a post—war high. labour says growth has hit a dead end under the tories, and that tax cuts would not "remotely compensate" for hikes already put in place. let's get a first assessment from faisal. the chancellor was dene depict this as a turn point and it was in economic policy a year on from the mini budget turmoil. the office for budget responsibility said that

jeremy hunt received a £27 billion windfall which he chose not to spend on protecting public service from rising inflation but instead, on returning some of those tax rises to businesses, and in a bigger than expected national insurance cut. but with growth falling, versus expectation, within inflation higher than expectation, the tax burden at a record and disposal income falling, it isn't reallyjust yet a turning point in the actual economy. thank you, more from you in a moment. let's hear now from our politcal editor chris mason in westminster. one minute! days like today here come with a certain anticipation. smile on his face, the autumn statement under his arm... is now the right time - for tax cuts, chancellor? and the questions beginning forjeremy hunt. i now call the chancellor to make the autumn statement.

jeremy hunt. the big thing talked up in advance of today was tax cuts, and here was the main one for many workers. today, mr speaker, i am going to cut the main i2% rate of employee national insurance by two percentage points, from i2% to io%. that change will help 27 million people. it means someone on the average salary of £35,000 will save over £450. and mr hunt said this cut would happen in earlyjanuary. but the overall tax burden is still rising, albeit a little less than it would otherwise have done. for the self—employed, there is a tax cut, too. the abolition of what is known as class 2 national insurance, and a cut in class 4 national insurance.

taken together with the abolition of the compulsory class 2 charge, these reforms will save around 2 million self—employed people an average of £350 per yearfrom april. as ministers try to kick—start a sluggish economy, companies will be able to deduct their spending on new equipment and machinery from their profits, and so pay less tax. i will today make full expensing permanent. that is the largest tax cut in modern british history. other things announced today — from april, benefits will go up by 6.7%, the state pension by 8.5%, and the minimum wage for those aged 21 and older will be £11.44 per hour. jeremy hunt also said he was determined to help people who are out of work to find work. and... if after 18 months of intensive support, job—seekers have not found a job, we will roll out a programme

requiring them to take part in mandatory work placements. and if they choose not to engage with the work search process for six months, we will close their case and stop their benefits. the chancellor summarised his plan like this. the biggest package of tax cuts to be implemented since the 1980s. an autumn statement for a country that has turned a corner. an autumn statement for growth, which i commend to the house. incoming next, the reaction, firstly from the woman who wants the chancellor's job. as the sun begins to set on this divided, out of touch, weak government, the only conclusion that the british people will reach if this — after 13 years of conservatives, the economy is simply not working, and despite all the promises today, working people are still worse off.

and the wider debate is now getting under way. things are still getting worse for people. inflation is still more than double the target that it should be. and that means prices and costs for people in their homes are still going up, day by day. this statement is a deception from the chancellor after years of unfair tax hikes. under this conservative government, economic growth is flatlining and public services are on their knees. chancellor, thank you for having us in the treasury. for all the talk today of tax cuts, living standards have fallen by more than at any point since records began, and the tax burden is still going up every year. that is the blunt truth, isn't it? well, we did have to put up taxes. i have never shied away from saying that. but i think it was right to support families who were suffering because of the energy crisis and to support businesses through the pandemic. you say that the country has turned a corner, that the economy is turning a corner but is that how people feel? well, i think people

are feeling bruised. we had a once in a century pandemic. we had a 1970s style oil shock. what we have tried to do is to support families. for the chancellor and the prime minister, against a tricky economic and political backdrop — the task now, selling their plan. amid the hurricane of words, the blizzard of numbers tonight, there are just three things that really matter. yes the tax cuts we heard the chancellor herald in his statement, but also the tax burden and living standards, that on going sense for so many people of squeezed living standards, because no amount of spread sheets or interviews, spin or rhetoric can overcome that central fact, or rhetoric can overcome that centralfact, around it is against that that the political debate now gets under way, and it presents labour with an easy target now, but

the bleakest of inheritances if they were to win the next general election, because the challenge for this government, and any subsequent one, is the same. trying to enliven a lethargic economy after what has come before, the government is finding it difficult. any subsequent government let's have a look at some of the other announcements made by the chancellor today. there will be a freeze on alcohol duty until one august, but tobacco duty has been put up by 10%. a consultation on giving people one pension pot for life, whichjeremy hunt says could help unlock an "extra £1,000 a year" in retirement savings. and a commitment to reform the planning system to allow for faster planning applications. mr hunt confirmed the national living wage will rise by more than a pound to £11.44 an hour.

and jeremy hunt also made permanent a tax break for businesses that allows them to save on corporation tax by investing. and business rate relief will be extended for many small firms, including pubs and other hospitality businesses. well, jeremy hunt said today he'd announced the "biggest business tax cut in modern history". our cost of living correspondent colletta smithjoins me now, what more do we know about the impact on businesses. the chancellor has said it will benefit business, his hope is it will boost the economy and make it grow. as you would imagine, business leaders broadly welcoming today's statement, but in terms of how people will feel that in their personal finance, people will feel that in their personalfinance, even if the economy does grow it will take a while for that to trickle down into

household budgets, ispent while for that to trickle down into household budgets, i spent most of my days talking to people ho are struggling to make ends meet, for whom they may already be in debt. they certainly don't have reserves to fall back on, and those central costs are still rising, whether it is mortgages, rents, orfood prices, so, i have spent the day here in hull talking to people about the impact of today's announcements their personal finances. £221.20 a week... pensions will increase in their spring, which is a relief forjune. pensions will increase in the spring, which is a relief forjune. oh, yes, i am sure it will make a difference. my husband is not very well and i feel that he needs good food. what i would like to know is, will there be help for us old age pensioners before april? today is a big relief for pensioners. sticking to that triple lock will mean an extra £17 or so a week in their pockets which is the difference between a food bill or an extra energy top up.

it will make a big difference to a lot of households but it only kicks in from april. pensioners will still get that winter fuel payment but last year the government gave an extra £400 per week to every household and this year, they have said that is not going to happen. today, the chancellor stuck to his guns, which means that forjune and 12.5 million other pensioners like her, it could still be a difficult few months. lily works for herself, renting a chair in this salon. she should see a boost of around £350 per year with big cuts to national insurance. before you have even started hairdressing and earning money, you have got to work for two full days to pay back what you have to pay in rent and stuff. so that will be nice to know that i don't have to put away. but for the salon owner, those wage rises come at a cost. the energy bills are still sort of hammering us and the vat, the tax, mainly. so if they brought that down,

then i would love to bring another memberof staff in and to train them. but it is again the wages. at what point do you say, "i can't afford to pay you any more"? so what i want to know is, where am i going to get the extra money to pay my staff more? an increase in the minimum wage and a 2% cut in national insurance will mean lots of households have a bit extra to cover those increasing bills that we are facing every time we go to the tills. the problem is, businesses are going to have to find that money to pay for those wage increases from somewhere. so we are likely to see those price hikes carrying on for the months ahead. beth works as a dental nurse two days a week and then gets a top up from universal credit which will now increase in april. i thought it was going down, so that is good that it is going up. sometimes i think, what is the point in going to work when they are going to take half of it off me anyway? i may as well just stay at home. what i would like to know is, if i work an extra day, will it be worth my while? for two parents with two children on universal credit, it will be an increase of around £1000 from april.

but with no announcements made about childcare costs and no increase to the point that people start to pay different levels of income tax, it is still a really difficult equation for lower income parents to make sure that they don't lose out. let's get faisal islam's thoughts on what it means for the economy. yes we got some new forecasts with all of this comes new challenges, as the economy from today's statement, and in those recent forecasts from the official watchdog, the obr, that is what they show. let us look at inflation. we had known it had halved from the peak, but now the obr predicts it will get down to 2%, the standard bank target in 2025, it is now expected to be laider than in the march forecast. we are also expected to have avoided that recession, with little growth in

upcoming years. in february, the obr thought we were on track for recession this year but followed with predictions of stronger growth in subsequent years. despite all that, borrowing is actually pretty much unchanged overall, which is amazing, really, given the government's interest payments are spiralling. the obr thinks it is because our economy is more tax rich to begin with. so let's focusing on 27—28. the forecast says the chancellor had £27 billion more room for manoeuvre to hit his own self—imposed borrowing limits, what the obr calls a windfall. the big decision here is is almost all of this is spent not on increasing public services in line with rising prices but principally on those two big tax cuts, £9 billion for 2p off national insurance and £11 billion on business investment tax cuts. they are big and designed to boost the economy long—term. but for context, in the same document, the obr say that previous decisions to freeze income tax thresholds will raise a remarkable £43 billion in that same year.

real government spending is actually £20 billion lower than it was in our march forecast because inflation is much higher but the chancellor hasn't really added substantial sums to departmental budgets. that means spending on public services is £20 billion lower. that provides kind of a dividend to the public finances which he has used in order to reduce people's taxes by roughly the same amount. the bigger picture for the chancellor is that this is a grand reforming business friendly budget with over 100 measures designed to boost growth, from planning to pylons. some are politically challenging but even then, they tend to take years to boost investment and growth. so what we got today was an attempt at economic microsurgery, to unleash growth longer term, tied together with a more upfront attempt at modest festive and of course pre—election cheer. the public may see some lights at the end of the tunnel or they may think this is a partial rebate

of recent tax hikes. faisal islam, thank you. that's all from me and the team in hull for the time being, we will be back a little later in the programme, but for now back to you sophie. the first israeli hostages should be released tomorrow at the start of a truce in gaza, after a deal was finally agreed late last night between israel and hamas. hamas is designated as a terrorist group by the uk government. in total, 50 of around 240 israelis who were kidnapped by hamas on october 7th will be allowed to leave gaza — that's around a dozen a day during the four—day pause in fighting. in return, under the deal, 150 palestinian women and teenagers will be released from israeli prisons. the truce is expected to start at 10am tomorrow morning, with the hostages released at around noon. until then, the fighting continues. our senior international correspondent orla guerin reports.

there are distressing images in her report from the start. a reminder of how all this began on the 7th of october. hamas gunmen storming across the borderfrom gaza, hunting israelis to kill or capture. around 240 were taken hostage. among them, shiri bibas, trying to shield her two young sons, an image that went around the world. now they and their mother could be freed as part of a deal to release 50 women and children. kfir is just ten months old and always smiling. ariel is four and loves climbing and batman. shiri's cousin is caught between hope and torment. i don't know what kind of children will come back to us.

the trauma, what they saw. and until i see them with my own eyes, i don't believe any lists of names and i don't believe any news coming today from anywhere. i need to see them with my own eyes. i need to hold my cousin in my arms. sobbing. but for many in gaza, just the anguish of goodbye. hassan is mourning his niece, three brothers and his grandmother, killed by an israeli air strike on a residential building, relatives say. this was in khan younis in the south, which israel said would be safer. if a four—day ceasefire starts

tomorrow as planned, it is too late for this family. gaza is teeming with grief and desperation. this was the struggle for a few bottles of water. hundreds of trucks of food, fuel and medical supplies are to be allowed in during the ceasefire. for now, gaza keeps burying its dead, with more than 100 bodies in this mass grave. we don't know exactly how they died, but some came from al—shifa hospital. israel released the remains on the eve of the truce. the ceasefire is due to come into effect at 10am tomorrow local time, thatis effect at 10am tomorrow local time, that is sam uk time. the release of

the hostages will happen in phases, overfour the hostages will happen in phases, over four days. the hostages will happen in phases, overfour days. there is scope the hostages will happen in phases, over four days. there is scope to extend the truth if it holds. for every additional ten hostages released, the ceasefire would last for an extra day. qatar, which played a key role in mediation, says it hopes this steal can lead to a permanent ceasefire. but both israel and hamas have said that once the ceasefire ends, they intend to continue the war. four men have been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of 28—year—old ashley dale, who was shot dead inside her home in liverpool in august last year. the trial heard that ashley dale's boyfriend was the intended target of the attack. her mother called the killers "monsters". nick garnett is at liverpool crown court. yes, this was a brutal, cold and vicious murder, and the sentences handed down reflect that. james

with, 41 is up, was given three years, nile barry, 47 years because not only did he plan it but he supplied the gun as well. joseph pears, who drove the getaway car, gets 41 years, and the man who planned it, 42 years. ashley's motherjulie spoke to the court before the sentences were handed down and turned to face the four men. "i will never, everforgive you", she said. "i hope my words onto and when you go to is the better night, you see my baby girl's face, as i do, every single night". at that point, witham, who had been the government, got up and run out of the dock and past prison officers and hid in a corridor until he was sent back to court. he and the three others will now face 173 years in total in prison.— total in prison. thank you for “oininu total in prison. thank you for joining us- — the mother of one of the four teenagers who were found dead in a car in north wales yesterday says she feels like she's in a nightmare she can't wake up from.

the bodies ofjevon hirst, harvey owen, wilf fitchett and hugo morris were discovered yesterday. the friends from shropshire, aged between 16 and 18, had gone on a camping trip at the weekend. our correspondent phil mackie reports. today, the news began to sink in. near where the crash happened, it was a moment to reflect. four young lives lost in a crash in a remote corner of north wales. college friends from shrewsbury, jevon hirst, harvey owen, wilf fitchett and hugo morris went on a weekend camping trip but never came back. a candle marked the spot where their silver ford fiesta left the road. it was found upside down and partially submerged. in shrewsbury, friends who are unused to bereavement are struggling to deal with the feelings that go with it. it doesn't feel real to think that they are not going to be here any more. it isjust a horrible feeling all around, knowing that some lads you were so close to, see them almost every single day, i will never see again, never hear their voice again. it's just a horrible feeling.

you have got tojust continue to try and make the most without them and just kind of... make something good out of it. make something good out of this horrible time. the steps at the college the boys attended have become a makeshift shrine during the day. we have seen lots of students coming along, arm in arm, many of them in tears, clearly struggling with what has happened, and the college has said it has been offering them support. writing on her business's facebook page, harvey owen's mum said, "i feel like i am in a nightmare i could wake up from but i am not". the restaurant where harvey worked has paid tribute, too, calling him easy—going, warm, funny, gentle, bright, ha rd—working and humble. tonight, the tributes are growing and the boys' hometown is in mourning. phil mackie, bbc news, shrewsbury. the public inquiry into the crimes of serial killer, lucy letby, has formally begun, although hearings may not begin until next autumn. the inquiry will examine how the nurse was able to murder seven babies and try to kill six others.

it will also look at how the nhs handled the case and its response to doctors who raised concerns. hundreds ofjobs are at risk after the owner of scotland's only oil refinery, at grangemouth, announced that it could close in 18 months�* time. its owner petro—ineos said it plans to turn grangemouth into a terminal for importing fuel. the bbc has been told that, if confirmed, the move would result in at least 400 job losses. back now to our main story — the chancellor's autumn statement. reeta. well, the chancellor delivered his statement against a backdrop of people really struggling with the cost of living crisis. here in hull, gps say they have seen a clear rise in the number of patients coming to see them with mental health problems linked to financial worries. one of the tools now available to doctors?is social prescribing, where they can refer patients for non—medical treatment such as gardening, and also

advice services to help with issues like debt. it can work wonders, as i found out. my anxiety made me not want to leave the house at all. i was feeling sick, anxious of everything around me. yeah, i used to, like, cry quite a lot because it's like, ifelt like it was running my life. like, i can't do anything. katie found herself in her mid—30s dealing with a series of personal tragedies. the obvious person to turn to was the doctor, for medication. a lot of it was worry about financial issues, like, how am i going to pay my rent? how am i going to eat? how am i going to feed the cats? anything and everything. itjust got me down. it wasn't just the gp who helped her. he referred katie to an nhs social prescriber. follow down to the room... someone could help her in all areas of her life, with her gambling addiction, with managing herfinances, even helping her leave the house. she gave me the confidence to go out and do things and,

you know, instead ofjust being stuck, depressed. i did have a scratchcard addiction, which, i was struggling, and i shouldn't have done that, but i have stopped that. i have done... i have stopped my online gambling as well. so that has helped me get better as well. because they have helped me here, you see. they have helped me, you know, financially, with what to do, how to stop my gambling. coming here has given me the confidence... katie is one of 200 patients whom cara helps. the first appointment is an hour long, so cara can get to the bottom of her patients' problems. probably 90% of the time, the patients that i am seeing, they are struggling with mental health of some sort, generally anxiety, depression, stress. finances for a lot of people at the minute, with the cost of living crisis, it has impacted so many people. again, that interlinks then with mental health problems. the doctor at katie's surgery told me tens of thousands of patients have been referred

for social prescribing across the region, which has one of the highest levels of deprivation in the uk. ultimately, it means fewer visits to the doctor and less pressure on the nhs. one of the benefits might be that patients who frequently— attend or access services, because they are unsure i of where to go to solve some of these difficulties, - will actually, if those needs are getting addressed, - will attend less frequently. i feel more like i can go out... for katie, it has been life changing. i have not actually had to visit my gp for a little while because it has helped me. like i say, mental and physical health, it's not... i've not really had to go to the doctor to get any help for anything so... so you have got your life back on track? a lot better, yeah. katie, who benefited so much from a new way of treatment. and our cost of living correspondent colletta smith is back with me. we have had lots of facts and

figures today but will people feel better off after today? we figures today but will people feel better off after today?— better off after today? we can't underestimate _ better off after today? we can't underestimate the _ better off after today? we can't underestimate the relief - better off after today? we can't underestimate the relief that i better off after today? we can't. underestimate the relief that will be felt by pensioners and people on universal credit to know that those benefits are going up in april by that higher rate of inflation that we saw in september. but let's not kid ourselves this is a pay rise. yes, the chancellor is correct that inflation has been falling but that just means that price rises are slowing down. nothing is getting cheaper. in fact, the cost of living crisis has deepened the divide across the uk. for people living in cities like here in hull or anywhere outside of the south of england, they are facing effectively higher increases in their cost of living because they are more exposed to rising price shocks and fuel prices because they are more car —dependent. because they are more car -dependent-_ because they are more car -dependent. because they are more car -deendent. ., ~ ., ., -dependent. thank you for “oining us. time for a look at the weather. louise is with me here in hull. thanks. i tell you what, ifor one

i'm gratefulfor this beautiful backdrop because it has been a grey and drab and dreary day. it has been pretty mild out there but all that is set to change. if you haven't already heard, it is getting colder as we go through the end of the week. and yes, we could even see some wintry showers in the far north. we have got high pressure at the moment across england and wales keeping things pretty quiet but further north, you can see the isobars squeezing together and there isobars squeezing together and there is a cold front moving into scotland as we speak. that will bring some rain overnight tonight and strengthening wind. elsewhere, we keep the cloud which will act like a blanket, keeping us quite warm overnight. a mild night to come but there will be a bit of patchy light rain around as well. not a cold start. a pretty grey, damp, drizzly affair across england and wales. hopefully tomorrow we are a bit more optimistic that the cloud will thin and break up. ourweather optimistic that the cloud will thin and break up. our weatherfront further north will sink south into northern england and behind it, we will see the best of the sunshine

perhaps into scotland. but here is