Budget 2017 live - key points: Tories pivot to public spending in bid to keep out Corbyn
Follow all the latest updates as Chancellor presents his 2017 Budget
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Your support makes all the difference.Welcome to The Independent’s liveblog with coverage of the response to Philip Hammond’s Budget.
The Chancellor was forced to admit that growth and productivity forecasts had been downgraded, with the Official for Budget Responsibility (OBR) predicting lower growth than at any time in its history.
It comes after the UK’s finances unexpectedly worsened last month after the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said public sector net borrowing – stripping out state-owned banks – jumped by £500m to £8bn in October.
Despite this, Mr Hammond used the Budget to announce a splurge of new investment, including £3bn set aside for preparing for Brexit, an immediate £350m cash boost for the NHS, a £2.5bn investment fund and £500m support for the tech industry. This can partly be seen as a response to Labour's shock performance at the polls earlier this year, which has forced the Tories to do more to address rising anger at inequality, and try to quell support for Jeremy Corbyn.
Follow the 2017 Budget as it happened below
A series of small giveaways had earlier been trailed by the Treasury, including extending discount railcards to 25-30 year-olds from next Spring and tackling overpayments of student loans.
This was a Budget in which Mr Hammond could not afford any major slip-ups. Tory MPs were nervous of a repeat of the excruciating U-turn on a key announcement in the Budget in Spring, where the Chancellor was forced to pull the plug on his plan to raise taxes for the self-employees through increased national insurance contributions after considerable pressure from Conservative MPs.
If there is any repeat of this, Mr Hammond's position in Number 11 will be very precarious indeed.
We're getting close... Prime Minister's Questions will take place, as usual, at 12pm. Philip Hammond will then stand up to deliver the much-anticipated Autumn Budget around 1pm. You can follow it all live here, of course: we'll have breaking news, instant analysis and all the reaction.
Philip Hammond told Cabinet colleagues he will use the Budget to announce "significant investments" in infrastructure, Number 10 said.
The Prime Minister's spokesman said the Budget will balance investment in public services with the need to continue lowering the national debt.
Mr Hammond's presentation was "well received" by the Cabinet, Downing Street said, with traditional banging of the table demonstrating ministers' support.
She's on her way... Theresa May has left Downing Street and is heading to the Commons for one of the biggest events of her premiership. As she battles to keep the Conservatives united behind her, their response to the Autumn Budget will dictate her standing among Tory MPs in the coming weeks. Both she and Philip Hammond will know this is a critical moment in their political careers...
Institute for Fiscal Studies Director Paul Johnson says Philip Hammond is likely to break with the tradition of using the first Budget after a general election to raise taxes. After the general election result the Chancellor is under pressure to announce policies that will help the Tories win back voters. Tax hikes are unlikely to be among them.
The markets don't appear to be expecting any game-changing announcements from the Chancellor this afternoon; the pound has stayed steady in the run-up to the Budget. Here's the value of sterling against the US dollar in the last 12 hours, courtesy of xe.com.
Quick reminder: it's PMQs first, then the Budget around 1.00pm. Theresa May's in her seat, Philip Hammond beside her. Jeremy Corbyn's in place too. We're all set...
Hot off the press (memory card?), here's the traditional photo of the Chancellor posing with his Treasury team outside Number 11.
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