and where does mr hammond find money for some of the extra spending he announced today? 0ur economics editor kamal ahmed takes a closer look. today philip hammond certainly try to change the economic story of this government. away from cuts and controlling the nation's debts and towards spending and tax cuts. the ending of austerity, he said. next year ending of austerity, he said. next yeaer hammond said ending of austerity, he said. next year mr hammond said the government would spend 2.3 billion pounds on public services and that figure would rise to 30.6 billion pounds by 2024, the biggest change in public spending for at least a decade. well, the prime minister said the chancellor are very difficult challenge with her declaration that it was the end of austerity and i think today he over delivered on expectations. the reason he was able to do that was because he got a big improvement in the public finance forecast from independent forecasters with the result that i think the budget is the biggest giveaway budget for a generation.

did you read that as mr hammond saying to mps, you should really vote for the deal mrs may does?i talk to colleagues they did not spot it. i think he toned down the rhetoric where we expected it to be. i think he decided we were heading towards the end of march, when where we are going will become clearer. he has allowed for the possibility of change but even today, he was saying we do not know what will happen and he was being more cautious which is the right place to be. if it were intended to lean on people to get them to vote for anything that comes back, it certainly went over their heads. yet we heard mr hammond saying if there was no deal, it would be, quote, a shock to the economy. do you think so? when i listen to him this morning he said ultimately it could be and went on to say more often than not, the kind of shocks that happen are those you do not foresee. in other words it is possible the uk economy will do well. i believe we will do well because the uk economy as the chief economist at deutsche bank said, the uk economy will survive and many in the public think the

popular poring over this morning as halfar mr hammond yesterday actually did ease austerity with the interestingly we have heard from mr hammond himself this morning suggesting that outside of the nhs, government departments will be getting a flat 0% average increase in spending. in other words, for areas like police, like local government, like schools, austerity will continue, even though extra spending was announced in some of the key pressure points yesterday, such as for social care, orfor universal credit. yesterday, such as for social care, or for universal credit. mrs may, who is in oslo this morning, reiterated her conviction that austerity is now coming to an end. what we saw in the budget yesterday was yes, austerity is coming to an end. what does that mean? we will continue to ensure that debt falls and give more support to public services, and set out our new approach in the sending —— spending review next year. austerity coming to an end is notjust about more money into public services, it is about more money in people's pockets. philip hammond has found himself embroil

how will mr hammond afford it?bout £11.9 billion this year, giving mr hammond some spending room. second, economic growth is stronger than expected for the next two years — rising next year from 1.3% to 1.6%. that's better for the amount of tax the government collects. interestingly, the chancellor has said he's not going to save that money, he's going to spend it. he is going to have a bit of trouble if the forecasts look worse next time and don't forget, what the 0br, what the forecasts give, they can very easily take awaits. he has not left himself with a lot of scope to respond if things go worse down the road. there will be some tax rises. self—employment rules will be tightened, raising over £3.1 billion over five years. and the possibility of a new tax on technology giants like facebook, which could raise £1.5 billion. this was a budget promising a lot of spending in the future, but austerity is not over today. benefit cuts and cuts to government departments are still to come. and if there is no deal on brex

how can mr hammond are forwarded? than expected by around 11.9 billion pounds this year. that gives mr hatton and some spending room. second, economic growth is to longer than expected for the next two yea rs, than expected for the next two years, rising next yearfrom than expected for the next two years, rising next year from 1.3% to 1.6%, that's better for years, rising next year from 1.3% to 1.6%, that's betterfor the amount of tax the government collect. interestingly the chancellor has said he's not going to say that money, he's to spend it. he is going to have a bit of trouble if the forecasts look worse and, don't forget, you know, what the 0br, what the forecast give, they can very easily take away. so he's not left himself with a lot of scope to respond if things go worse down the road. there will be some tax rises. seh road. there will be some tax rises. self employment rules will be tightened, raising over 3.1 billion pounds over the next five years. and the possibility of a new tax on technology giants lik

conference in birmingham, mr hammond predicted that the economy would be boosted once a brexit agreement was reached. his colleague the brexit secretary, dominic raab, insisted that britain would not be bullied into signing what he called a one—sided deal, as our political editor laura kuenssberg reports. where is the tories‘ identity? peep up there — is it in that private meeting of tory women, with a glimpse of the prime minister? thank you very much. or is it with hardcore brexiteers, who find plenty of fans here? or is it with the chancellor, pushing gradual moves, in line with tory tradition? we need to have the courage now to regenerate capitalism once again, to pass on something worthwhile to the next generation. that is what being a conservative is all about. applause.

how brexit will end, or whether mr hammond will need to find more money in march 2019, to support the british economy. the chancellor insists commitments he has made today will stand whatever happens. "austerity is coming to an end", he said by which he means government spending will rise. and in many ways, this did feel like a budget beyond brexit. there was an upgraded growth forecast. more cash for the nhs, extra money for social care, plus an additional £1 billion for defence. there's 1.7 billion to get help people switching to the uk's new all—in—one benefits system known as universal credit. and the chancellor brought forward by a year a rise in the tax—free personal allowa nce. which means from next april 32 million people will be paying less tax. let's cross to our political correspondent rob watson who is at westminster for us. so does this budget fulfil the prime minister's promise to end austerity. canl minister's promise to end austerity. can i first check, are you both nice and warm in the studio? good?

earlier this month prime minister theresa may promised an end to austerity and mr hammond will be under pressure to spell out how that will work. oliver cornock, editor—in—chief at the oxford business group, joins me now. it is nice to see you. so, it‘s a very difficult budget to deliver today, isn‘t it, given the fact that the chancellor doesn‘t know what the brexit deal is, just like the rest of us, and yet he has to plan ahead with very little information. yes, he said very much that unless there isa he said very much that unless there is a deal, this may need to change. this is the spending plan for the next year for the united this is the spending plan for the next yearfor the united kingdom. difficult because of coarse theresa may the british prime minister said at her conference in her big speech that this was the end of austerity which, in many senses, sally, has left the uk in a better position to face the difficulties of brexit, but the ultimate problem for all of us, the ultimate problem for all of us, the chancellor is the big one at the moment today, we don‘t know what brex

today, a hint from mr hammond that he is listening.n last year's budget i put a billion and a half pounds into trying to smooth some of the issues around transition from the legacy system to universal credit. and where we see issues that need addressing, we will address them. higher than expected tax receipts will allow the chancellor to spend a bit extra on things like road repairs and business rate relief. but, with no majority in the commons and a very fractious tory party, the ever cautious chancellor is unlikely to risk any radical budget moves. he knows, too, that a botched brexit could capsize all his plans. the shadow chancellor said he was deeply worried. a whole callous complacency about what philip hammond is doing at the moment, on universal credit and on brexit at the moment, the implications for our community if there is a no deal, i think could be catastrophic. and he should be standing up now and saying there will always be a deal, and he will work with us if necessary to secure the deal.

but with brexit uncertainty still dominating, mr hammond may hold off until our relationship with the rest of the european union is clearer. and that could be some way off. sophie. the speaker of the house of commons, john bercow, is facing fresh calls for him to resign following a damning report into the handling of bullying and harassment in the house of commons. the bbc understands that mr bercow has told friends he will stand down next summer. his departure — injune orjuly — would coincide with his tenth year in office. john pienaar reports. he loves hisjob he loves his job and he loves hisjob and it he loves his job and it shows, he loves hisjob and it shows, one of the highest in the land, high enough to slap down mps. be quiet. if you cannot be quiet get out. and high enough to hold the politically powerful to account. a total mishandling by his department for which the right honourable gentleman is solely responsible. but no john bercow is preparing to walk away,

kick us off with what mr hammond is saying about a very large bill? european negotiators like to talk about how within the brexit negotiations, there has been quite a lot of magical thinking. some of that magical thinking. some of that magical thinking. some of that magical thinking has basically been if there is no deal, we will not have to pay the eu anything. and here his film is philip hammond having some real talk, saying that we cannot just walk away from something we signed up two decades ago, and have no financial obligations whatsoever. it is a little bit like saying just because you don't like your house, that does not mean you can walk away from your mortgage, move different house and not be with the other one. is a clear how he can apparently say this, when for example, dominic raab can say that we will not pay that u nless we can say that we will not pay that unless we get a deal? obviously this is problematic for them, and the telegraph story is based on a cabinet meeting today in which they we re cabinet meeting today in which they were

mr hammond also plans to earmark an extra £420 million for repairing potholes in local roads, as ourrough on a promise made by his predecessor as chancellor, george osborne. what about potholes, i hear you ask? £420 million extra on top of 300 million already announced. already, some people saying it is a drop in the tarmac so to speak, with experts putting the cost of repairing all local roads at more like £9 billion. a lot more needs to be spent in their view. the other thing looked at today is a crackdown on payday loans. the government is set to announce a review in the budget into a possible interest—free loan scheme. so people on the lowest incomes don't fall into a spiral of debt. and speculation in the papers about what else might be in the budget. theresa may, i think, rather gave philip hammond a hospital pass when she announced in the party conference speech that austerity was over and this is very much the bar that labour willjudge the budget will be judged against and since the conference, ministers have been knocking on the chancellor's door, demanding extra money for t

mr hammond is basically parked deficit reduction.my does ok and berries at the nine brexit steel. the growth hmmfia the nine brexit steel. the growth forecast a fairly modest. he is basing it on 1.5% over the next four years. i believe that those growth hmmfi years. i believe that those growth forecast are years. i believe that those growth fore ca st a re lower years. i believe that those growth forecast are lower than what the well— being of reality which i forecast are lower than what the well—being of reality which i don't acce pt well—being of reality which i don't accept the doom and gloom around brexit is that the people have accepted. isn't there a need for politicians to level the quotas, austerity is be used but it will continue whoever gains power. if you look at labour's record, you are not suggesting you are going to end the freeze on working age benefits, you are not going to radically pour money back that has been cut from areas like local government over the past 80 years, that level of austerity will continue whoever w

today, a hint from mr hammond that he's listening.smooth some of the issues around transition from the legacy system to universal credit. and where we see issues that need addressing, we will address them. higher than expected tax receipts will allow the chancellor to spend a bit extra on things like road repairs and business rate relief. but, with no majority in the commons and a very fractious tory party, the ever—cautious chancellor is unlikely to risk any radical budget moves. he knows too that a botched brexit could capsize all his plans. the shadow chancellor said he was deeply worried. the shadow chancellor was that he was deeply worried. a whole callous complacency about what philip hammond is doing at the moment, on universal credit and on brexit at the moment, the implications for our community if there is a no deal, i think could be catastrophic. and he should be standing up now and saying there will always be a deal, and he'll work with us if necessary to secure the deal. brexit frames this budget and big tax and spending

earlier this month, prime minister theresa may promised an end to austerity, and mr hammond will be under that will work. shares in hitachi chemical have tumbled during trade in tokyo. it follows reports injapanese media that the firm falsified inspections for a material used in semi conductors. the material is used to protect chips from scratches. so that report causing the shares to fall significantly. so that report causing the shares to fall significantly. let's go to china, where pet pampering has reached new heights. with a growing middle class in china, many pet owners can now afford extravagant gifts for their cats and dogs. 0wners are splashing the cash on spa visits and even acupuncture for their beloved animals. take a look at this. don't hold back, # bbc the briefing. tell us what you thought. i have a cat and dog and i don't think they would be up for that kind of pampering. tell us what you think. what do you pay for when it comes to your pets and what you indulge them in? let's look at markets really quickly. 0f in? let's look at markets really quickly. of course last week

mr. hammond is speaking today and some of the harder brexiteers are accusing mr. nd others of project fear as well as far as you're concerned, how deep will the ramifications be for the financial services sector given the level of preparedness you had >> i think there's a project fear factor or whatever it might be but the markets don't believe it the markets have been incredibly stable as has sterling to a certain extent i think the markets are expecting a decision by the end or just before 29th of march when the markets think that some agreement will be reached. they're very, very sanguine about it >> the pound goes down on fears, ftse goes through the roof i noticed them both rallying so i'm wondering how prepared asset managers are for a scenario where there is a brexit and it's not quite as dramatic as everyone thinks. do we get the pound and u.s. assets rallying? >> definitely. u.k. stocks are probably lagging slightly behind the big global stocks at the moment sterling will rally. some of the fear factor will come out of u.k. stocks. we're seeing them gettin

is saying ; f.‘{ arr. tjnil is saying about a what mr hammond is saying about a very large bill?uropean negotiators like to talk about how within the brexit negotiations, there has been quite a lot of magical thinking. some of that magical thinking. some of that magical thinking. some of that magical thinking has basically been if there is no deal, we will not have to pay the eu anything. and here his film is philip hammond having some real talk, saying that we cannot just walk away from something we signed up two decades ago, and have no financial obligations whatsoever. it is a little bit like saying just because you don't like your house, that does not mean you can walk away from your mortgage, move different house and not be with the other one. is a clear how he can apparently say this, when for example, dominic raab can say that we will not pay that u nless we can say that we will not pay that unless we get a deal? obviously this is problematic for them, and the telegraph story is based on a cabinet meeting today in which they we re cabinet meeting today in which they were d

mr hammond will go out of his way to say that capitalism can bea his way to say that capitalism can be force for good in society, that enterprise can drive up pay and wages and he will set out the case for so—called 21st—century capitalism. in part, that is an attempt to rip off some of the jeremy corbyn narrative which we heard last week about how capitalism amounted to greed is good. but in pa rt amounted to greed is good. but in part two, it is an attempt to just try to salvage relations with the business community. it is telling, really, that mr hammond is having to make this kind of speech because you would normally think that being pro—business was just part and parcel of being a tory. of course, mr hammond will also touch on brexit, this morning stressing that he believed mrs may would be able to secure a brexit deal. the mood is undoubtedly that people want to do a deal with the uk, people want to minimise the disruption of the uk's departure from the european union, they want to continue to have a good relationship with us and smooth trading partnership in the future, and that

mr. hammond's statement. >> the reality is whatever the chancellor claims today austerity is not over. and far from building a strong economy, eight years of austerity has damaged our economy, delayed and weak ed the recovery and endlessly postponed fixing the deficit unnecessary austerity has caused real hardship to millions of our fellow citizens. held down living standards for the majority and failed on its own terms. >>> the british government says it will sell all of its shares in rbs by 2024 the government owned 62.4% of the british bank which it rescued in 2008. the british taxpayer is expected to make a 28.5 billion pound loss on the sale looking at william hill, they're trading higher after the chancellor delayed cutting stakes on fixed odding betting terminals. pad yi pou paddy power betfair is trading lower. couple thoughts on the budget? whatever jeremy corbyn says here, this is still the highest level of taxation on the british public in 30 years, so so much for austerity. >> government spending now is growing in real terms. that hasn't happened in ten years. that's an imp

brexiteers have responded by calling mr hammond a ‘remoaner‘, as our political reporter pete saull explainedge osborne warned of an emergency budget if the lever of an emergency budget if the leave forward came to pass. that never happened. now a warning from the current chancellor philip hammond that if we leave the european union without a deal, a new budget will be needed. he mentioned this on morning on the andrew marr programme. if there was an unexpected turn of events, the right thing to do would be to revisit where we are, decide how best to respond, it depends on what the markets are doing. it depends on the circumstances of the moment. the important point is i have fiscal reserves that would enable me to intervene. this is interesting because he is effectively admitting that the spending announcements he is going to make tomorrow, there is a big caveat to them. if we leave the european union, without that deal, he will have to rethink how much he has got available to play with. philip hammond warning of the risks that scenario may entail. you have got some hardline brexiters is cal

in his speech to the party's conference in birmingham, mr hammond said the government would prove the's chequers proposals for future trade relations, and predicted that the economy would be boosted once an agreement was reached. the brexit secretary dominic raab insisted that britain would not be bullied into signing a one—sided deal. 0ur political correspondent chris mason reports from birmingham. speech day for the chancellor at a conference goes something like this. get up at daft o'clock to do countless telly and radio interviews, and then be the bloke in a factory, as you go for a wander around the workplace with the boss. here was philip hammond, earlier at an engineering firm down the road from the conference centre. before he had even had a chance to roll up at the lectern in the hall, a deep pocketed conservative donor had already had a pop at him and theresa may. i think the prime minister has let herself down personally by not being a champion of business to the extent that she could be or should be. you might make the legitimate excuse that she is so busy on brexit, she h

thank you to mr hammond for that.oefully short of meeting the huge funding crisis that schools are facing. and i'm sure schools will use that money wisely and will put it towards capital projects, it, refurbishment, renovations, the things that they actually cannot afford to do currently. however, the rhetoric is really telling and disappointing because the little extras, we have run out of extras anyway. we are really stripping back to the bone now as to what we can actually afford to do in schools. what would you like to be able to do? isa what would you like to be able to do? is a matter of staffing? is it more teachers, more teaching assistants? what is it you have not the money to now was not i'm glad you mentioned teaching assistants because of this funding given to date might help us afford a school like ours to be one more teaching assistant. i realise that's not what funding is actually for. we would wa nt to funding is actually for. we would want to be able to retain and recruit teachers like many schools, w

mr hammond is expected to announce more than 25 billion pounds will be made available for motorways and in the commons tomorrow. but he told sophy ridge on sky news that his plans to end austerity joining me in the studio to talk more about the budget is our political reporter pete saull. what's being trailed today? george osborne warned of an emergency budget. now there is a warning from the current chancellor that if we leave the european union with a deal, a new budget will be needed. if there was an unexpected turn of events, the best thing to do beta review the situation. the important point is i have got fiscal reserves that will enable me to intervene. if we leave the european union without that deal, we will need to rethink about how we much we have to play with. philip hammond is warning of the risks that that scenario may entail. you have some hardline brexiteers colin kemp room owner. —— calling him a moaner. what are the opposition saying? labour's position is to avoid and ordeal scenario. am deeply worried. philip hammond seems to be edging towards no—deal brexit. that is t

earlier this month, prime minister theresa may said austerity is over, so mr hammond will be under pressureejoined by gerard lyons, chief economic strategist at netwealth: good morning, what do you think will be unveiled in the budget today as for as ending a sturdy is concerned? it will relate to whether there will be no deal breaks and we will have a deal? it should only be linked to the brexit outcome, it deserves to be an up heat budget given the economy is growing steadily and importantly public finances have clearly turned the corner. in terms of your question about austerity, the reality is the chancellor has a lot more room for manoeuvre than many people expected a few months ago. the likelihood is that he will avoid grazing taxes, as used to be the fear only two months ago. he's going to put more money into the economy and maybe bring forward some of the previously announced tax changes such as raising allowances. he's trying to make a good news politically. the key messages though football happened to the economy, that will determine his future room for manoeuvre. in terms of brex

but significantly, mr hammond has doused down some of the austerities flash points, so more cash forl credit, more cash for defence and crucially, the early tax cut for 31 million people. as you say, to some people, in the labour party, that looks suspiciously like a general election budget. but brenda from bristol, if you are watching, panic the knot, mrs may has promised this morning she is not going to call another early snap election. norman smith and andy verity, thank you both. so how is the chancellor's budget being received now that the details are becoming clearer? 0ur correspondent victoria fritz has been finding out in sheffield. amidst the shops and offices is a city regenerating. sheffield's winter garden may be a refuge as the days grow colder but did the chancellor do enough to prevent a chill spreading through the business community? categorically no, but it's a start. the business rate savings is saving me £900 a month, i'll be investing that into two part—time staff, it's a start but retailers have to start helping themselves. it's nice to know the government are wa

matt, tough choices, , for mr hammond? weeks away and the issue of universal credit is bubbling up. all existing benefit claimants on the six benefits that will be rolled into universal credit, they will be moved on to that system next year, but despite government promises of money to ease the transition there are fears some families could lose hundreds of pounds, maybe £1800 a year per family and it is claimed they could bea family and it is claimed they could be a need for up to £2 billion to be pumped in to fix that and today we heard of the work and pensions committee heidi allen who said she and at least 30 other tory mps support the idea of pushing money m, support the idea of pushing money in, which could spur the chancellor to act because there are votes on this issue, transferring people, next month in the commons, that would give an opportunity for unhappy mps to rebel and remember the chancellor is under pressure because theresa may said in her conference speech that austerity was over $0 conference speech that

mr hammond will need the economy to perform well, will need that brexit deal to come good, if he's toet of ending austerity over the next five years. kamal ahmed, bbc news. well, teachers and parents have reacted with fury to the chancellor's announcement in the budget that schools in england will receive a one—off payment of £400 million to pay for what he called "little extras". england's school leaders have been campaigning for some time for more money, saying they're having to lay off teachers and can't afford to buy essential equipment. 0ur education editor branwenjeffreys has more. it was meant to be good news from the treasury, but calling it cash for "little extras" has dug a bit of a political hole. teachers took to social media with suggestions. a luxury car for a day, a few more glue or glitter sticks. some schools offered to dig potholes. road repairs gotjust as much money. teachers‘ pay is the largest part of any school budget, and this money won't help with those long—term bills, leaving headteachers feeling their concerns have been ignored. it's not good enough for the

mr hammond will need the economy to perform well, we will need the brexit deal to come good, if he'sget of ending austerity of the five years. our deputy political editorjoins me now — a day on from the budget, and labour are split on how to respond. that's right fiona. a day after the budget is when something starts to unravel and we heard some questions in the report but labour is falling out with itself overjohn mcdonnell‘s decision to back the budget tax cuts. the most left—wing shadow chancellor in labour's history is being attacked from his own side, if you like, from the left of politics, and new development. it must be giving some cheer perhaps to the chancellor on the tory side one mp said to me the budget would be shouted from the rooftops in marginal constituencies, plastered over leaflets. it's a new dividing line on tax and spend between the main parties. will it help the government on brexit? some mps may be less inclined to vote against a deal ever is one but from what i've heard hard—line deal ever is one but from what i've heard ha rd—line brexiteers deal ever is one

mr hammond will need the economy to perform well.rexit deal to come good if he's to hit his target of ending austerity over the next five years. kamal ahmed, bbc news. president trump has visited the synagogue in pittsburgh where 11 people were killed in a shooting on saturday. the white house has rejected the suggestion that mr trump's rhetoric could be to blame for emboldening racist attacks. 0ne localjewish group has told him he is not welcome in the city. 0ur north america editorjon sopel reports from pittsburgh. awaiting donald trump's arrival, members of pittsburgh's jewish community gathered outside the tree of life synagogue to sing and to say kaddish, the prayers for those in mourning. the president flew into pittsburgh accompanied by the first lady, but also his daughter ivanka, who converted tojudaism when she married her 0rthodoxjewish partnerjared kushner. they first went to the synagogue were the 11 worshipers were gunned down, and in the entrance lit a candle for each of the 11 victims. next, they came outside to lay a

in his speech to the party conference in birmingham, mr hammond predicted that the economy would be boostedas reached. his colleague the brexit secretary, dominic raab, insisted that britain would not be bullied into signing what he called a one—sided deal, as our political editor laura kuenssberg reports. where is the tories' identity? peep up there — is it in that private meeting of tory women, with a glimpse of the prime minister? thank you very much. or is it with hard—core brexiteers? who find plenty of fans here. or is it with the chancellor? pushing gradual moves, in line with tory tradition. we need to have the courage now to regenerate capitalism once again, to pass on something worthwhile to the next generation. that is what being a conservative is all about. applause. and to those who will say that the measured message of evolution will be drowned out by the shrill voices of the demagogues and the populists, i say, put our trust in the common—sense of the british people and they will put their trust in us. applause. strange as it may seem, for the tories, who have traditionally b

mr hammond is expected to announce more than £25 billion will be made available for motorways and a roads is unveiled in the commons on monday. there'll also be an extra 420 million earmarked for repairing potholes in local roads. joining me in the studio to talk more about the budget is our political reporter pete saull. a lot is being trailed ahead of the budget. you mentioned the road ‘s announcement, £3.5 billion of new money, for major roads, following through on a promise made by his predecessor as chancellor george 0sborne. what about potholes? £420 million extra on top of 300 million already announced. already, some people saying it is a drop in the tarmac so to speak with experts putting the cost of repairing local roads at more like £9 billion. a lot more these to be spent in their view. the other thing looked at todayis view. the other thing looked at today is a crackdown on payday loa ns. today is a crackdown on payday loans. the government is set to announce a review in the budget into announce a review in the budget into a possible interest free loan scheme. and speculation

matt, tough choices, potentially, for mr hammond? absolutely.claimants are due to move on to the universal credit benefit system next year. despite government promises of cash to ease the transition, there are fears some families could miss out on hundreds of pounds. it is estimated it could take £2 billion to fix. the conservative member of the work and pensions committee heidi allen said she and 30 the tories think more money needs to be put into the system. that i suppose good spurred the chancellor to act, not least as next month there are votes a nd not least as next month there are votes and moving people onto the new system which could offer an opportunity for unhappy mps to rebel. so, if the chancellor decides to put some money in he might choose to put some money in he might choose to do it by raising taxes. but could therefore upset other backbench tories. for instance, there has already been some hostility to him floating the idea of reducing the tax breaks for pensions savings. yes, two weeks to the budget and some fine balancing to

mr hammond will need the economy to perform well.that brexit deal to come good if he's to hit his target of ending austerity over the next five years. kamal ahmed, bbc news. 0ur deputy political editor john pienaarjoins me now from westminster. the chancellor is accused of taking a gamble with the finances. what is your reading of the reaction there to date? the day after the budget is when it sometimes starts to unravel and we saw some of the doubts and questions in that report. but labour has been falling out with itself over the budget tax cuts. john mcdonnell is the most left—wing shadow chancellor we have seen but he has been criticised for accepting some of what his labour mp collea g u es some of what his labour mp colleagues are calling tory tax cuts, even though he is saying he would tax be better off more heavily when and if he gets the chance. the chancellor may well be enjoying that split. 0n the tory side, the budget will be plastered over leaflets, be pushed through thousands of letterboxes, in marginal constituencies u

on monday, mr hammond told mps that austerity was ending but his labour shadow had a few doubts.terday, the chancellor claimed that this was a ?turning point?. yesterday, the chancellor claimed that this was a "turning point". it is, but not in the way he suggested. this is not the end of austerity, but it is the beginning of the end of the dominance of an economic theory and practice that has wreaked havoc on our communities. people no longer believe the myth that austerity was necessary. they are seeing this government hand out £110 billion in tax cuts to the rich and corporations while their services are cut and children are forced into poverty. with the number crunching that he has been doing, has he worked out how much more would have been available for the police, prisons, schools and local government if the uk had not voted to leave the european union two and a half years ago? does he not believe that that reinforces the case for a people?s vote now to restore the level of growth that we saw two and a half years ago? i respect the right his views on brexit because i campai

budget — but with brexit uncertainty still dominating, as we've heard earlier in the programme, mr hammonduropean union is clearer. and that could be some way off. huw... a man has gone on trial for the second time charged with the murder of two nine—year—old girls 32 years ago. russell bishop, who's 52, is accused of killing nicola fellows and karen hadaway, who were found dead in woods near brighton in october 1986. from the old bailey, our correspondent daniella relph reports. more than 30 years ago the families came to court for the first murder trial. today they returned, at times in tears as they again sat through the evidence. karen hadaway was nine years old when she died, described in court as a sensible girl who knew right from wrong. nicola fellows was also nine and was said to be the stronger of the two, outgoing and would speak her mind. the girls were neighbours, their bodies were found on october tenth, 1986. they had both been strangled and sexually assaulted. they were discovered together in wild park in brighton, just half a mile from their homes on the moulsecoomb estate

you sense within downing street there is some angst that the reputation of mr hammond, which is thatone down in expectations and it may not be possible to ease austerity if we do not get a good brexit deal. this morning number ten said no, not get a good brexit deal. this morning numberten said no, no, austerity will come to an end regardless of what happens with brexit. it's understood today there will be more cash for social care and more money to reverse some of the cuts to universal credit. there will be more money as well for defence, we are told. that doesn't hang together as an end to austerity. that'll have to wait until the spending review next year. and even then it might be a long haul because of existing spending commitments already made and the continued to deficit and high levels of debt. so ending austerity looks like it'll be a slow and protracted process. smith, thank you. and we'll have full coverage of the budget on the bbc news channel from 2 o'clock this afternoon. and there will be a detailed look at what the budget means for you on the bbc news website, at bbc.

mr hammond said people on the lowest incomes would benefit most.correspondent kevin petrie will be joining us, as well asa petrie will be joining us, as well as a consumer affairs journalist and author. if you have questions, do get in touch. uber's long—running appeal against a ruling that its drivers should be treated as workers rather than self—employed will be heard in the court of appeal later. the taxi hailing apple argues that a strike that shouldn't be treated as work at, meaning they are entitled to paid holiday and the minimum wage. unions calculator could be worth up to £18,000 per driver if the uber lost. uber said an earlier ruling fundamentally misunderstood how it operates. a british academic who's been held in the united arab emirates on charges of spying, has been released on bail. matthew hedges, a phd student at durham university, denies the allegations but has been told he must remain in the uae until a further court hearing next month. the us is deploying a further five thousand troops to its border with mexico as large numbers

or british or funny as mr philip hammond says that voters can look forward to the end of fiscal austerity if the u.k. manages to strike a deal with the european union on brags that the british economy has already taken a hit since the twenty sixteen vote to leave the e.u. there's still no certainty that london can reach a deal with its european partners on breaks it but hammond was upbeat in his speech to parliament today take a listen. mr deputy speaker we're at a pivotal moment in our negotiations and the stakes could not be higher get it right and we will not only protect britain's jobs businesses and prosperity but we will also harvest a double deal diffident a boost from the end of uncertainty and a boost from releasing some of the fiscal headroom that i am holding in reserve at the moment we are confident that we will secure a deal which delivers that dividend. the message from him basically is that british voters can look forward to an increase in spending on public services only if teresa mayes government can get that elusive deal with brussels. well far from westminster the mood

but with that brexit uncertainty, it is still dominating, mr hammond may hold off until our relationshipr—old russell bishop is accused of strangling nicola fellows and karen hadaway, who were found dead in woods near brighton in october 1986. daniella relph reports. more than 30 years ago, the families came to court for the first murder trial. today, they returned, at times in tears as they again sat through the evidence. karen hadaway was nine years old when she died, described in court as a sensible girl who knew right from wrong. nicola fellows was also nine and was said to be the stronger of the two, outgoing and speaking her mind. the girls were neighbours, their bodies were found on 0ctober9,1986. they had both been strangled and sexually assaulted. they were discovered together in a park in brighton, just half a mile from their homes. they had both disappeared after going out to play. back then, russell bishop was arrested and tried for their murders but he was acquitted and released. three years later, he assaulted and attempted to kill a seven—year—old girl. she survived and id

mr. hammond delivers his budget and is focused on raising revenues to meet spending commitments were national health service. does that mean tax rises? that is the question and in new york tomorrow, apple host a new product event which is likely to introduce ipad prose that use facial recognition to unlock as well as view apps. we get a monetary policy decision from the bank of japan. manus: let's not forget that. fairly significant moments. bank of england and kuroda. thursday it is all about the bank of england. the rate decision, the flechette growth,nflation report, and spending. what can carney say to the market? nejra: let's get to stephen bell, our chief economist who is still with us. let's kick off with the u.k. looking ahead to this budget. hammond goingilip to need to ramp up spending? it looks like bond traders will give him a pass. steven: usually the chancellor is presenting a budget where things are going in his favor. growth is disappointing and this time around it is a lot better than the admittedly gloomy forecast a year ago. because it's done by the independent office, no o