LIVE: Follow our Budget 2017 coverage as Chancellor speaks
Chancellor Philip Hammond was today expected to use the Budget to promise to 'invest to secure a bright future for Britain', in a strong signal that he is ready to start bringing down the curtain on the age of austerity.
In his keynote statement Mr Hammond was expected to respond to intense pressure for Government spending to boost industrial productivity and ease the housing crisis, as he promises to build “a Britain fit for the future”.