:00:00. > :00:00.through the weekend, not necessarily sunny everywhere. There will be
:00:00. > :00:00.cloud around and it will always be on the chilly side.
:00:07. > :00:08.George Osborne delivers his budget - as latest forecasts say growth
:00:09. > :00:14.In his red box today - the speech that has changed our
:00:15. > :00:22.He says the storm clouds are gathering.
:00:23. > :00:25.The outlook for the global economy is weak.
:00:26. > :00:28.It makes for a dangerous cocktail of risks.
:00:29. > :00:31.But one that Britain is well prepared to handle
:00:32. > :00:38.He's failed on the budget deficit, failed on debt, failed
:00:39. > :00:41.on investment, failed on productivity,
:00:42. > :00:44.failed on trade deficit, failed on the welfare cap,
:00:45. > :00:49.failed to tackle inequality in this country.
:00:50. > :00:51.Mr Osborne announces a tax on sugary drinks -
:00:52. > :00:56.it's his new plan to tackle childhood obesity.
:00:57. > :00:59.No one likes tax, right, but this is a tax for good.
:01:00. > :01:02.This is a tax that's symbolic, this is a tax that will have ripples
:01:03. > :01:07.There are lower taxes for small business -
:01:08. > :01:11.and ways to make big business pay more.
:01:12. > :01:13.We'll work out what today's budget says about the UK economy -
:01:14. > :01:21.We are going to win, win, win and we're not stopping.
:01:22. > :01:23.We're going to have great victories for our country.
:01:24. > :01:27.In America, big wins for Donald Trump in the race
:01:28. > :01:33.A remarkable comeback for Sprintre Sacre -
:01:34. > :01:35.he wins the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham,
:01:36. > :01:58.three years after heart problems were detected.
:01:59. > :02:02.Good evening and welcome to the BBC News at Six.
:02:03. > :02:04.George Osborne delivered his latest budget today saying that Britain
:02:05. > :02:06.faced a challenge - with "storm clouds" gathering over
:02:07. > :02:12.There were changes that will affect take home pay and help for younger
:02:13. > :02:16.savers in what the Chancellor called a "budget for the next generation".
:02:17. > :02:20.Labour called it a "budget of failure."
:02:21. > :02:23.Latest forecasts suggest that economic growth is slowing down -
:02:24. > :02:25.but Mr Osborne said that still leaves Britain ahead
:02:26. > :02:31.Under the changes on personal taxes - from next April you won't start
:02:32. > :02:42.paying income tax till you earn ?11,500.
:02:43. > :02:44.And - once again - there was a big surprise.
:02:45. > :02:46.He's introducing a sugar levy on soft drinks --
:02:47. > :02:50.More on that in a moment, but first our Deputy Political
:02:51. > :02:55.Editor James Landale watched the exchanges in the Commons.
:02:56. > :03:02.The government likes to talk of fixing the roof when the sun shines.
:03:03. > :03:05.At Westminster and elsewhere it is a long-term economic plan that is
:03:06. > :03:10.taking longer than expected. For George Osborne and his budget box,
:03:11. > :03:14.it contained worst economic news than he had hoped and therefore
:03:15. > :03:21.bigger cuts than he wanted. Cuts he has to make if he is to get his
:03:22. > :03:24.budget in surplus by 2019. As he headed for the Commons, George
:03:25. > :03:29.Osborne new as well as the bad news, he also needed some better news
:03:30. > :03:37.ahead of a referendum web needs support of voters and Tory MPs if
:03:38. > :03:40.the UK is to stay in the EU. The Chancellor of the Exchequer. So with
:03:41. > :03:42.his statement to MPs was deliberately cautious. No massive
:03:43. > :03:49.radical reforms, instead some tax cuts to soften the worsening
:03:50. > :03:52.economic news. Financial markets are turbulent, productivity growth
:03:53. > :03:56.across the West is too low. The outlook for the global economy is
:03:57. > :04:01.weak. It makes for a dangerous cocktail of risks. So with the
:04:02. > :04:05.economy and productivity glowing Sir Ben expected he admitted he had
:04:06. > :04:08.missed its target of cutting depth of the share of national income and
:04:09. > :04:14.he would have to cut spending by a further ?3.5 billion a year from
:04:15. > :04:18.2019. Grim news that he tried to Sweden with a surprise. I'm not
:04:19. > :04:21.prepared to look back at my time in this Parliament doing this job and
:04:22. > :04:25.say to my children's generation I'm sorry, we knew there was a problem
:04:26. > :04:31.sugary drinks, that cause disease, but we ducked the difficult
:04:32. > :04:34.decisions and did nothing. So today I can announce we will introduce a
:04:35. > :04:41.new sugar levy on the soft drinks industry. Attacks that will raise
:04:42. > :04:45.half a year to be spent on extra support for primary schools. If Tory
:04:46. > :04:50.MPs like that, some were less keen on the Chancellor using his budget
:04:51. > :04:54.to make the case for the EU. Britain will be stronger, safer and better
:04:55. > :05:00.off inside a reformed EU. I believe we should not put at risk all the
:05:01. > :05:06.hard work the British people have done to make our economy strong
:05:07. > :05:11.again. Buddy cheered Tory MPs with a flurry of tax cuts. Raising the
:05:12. > :05:14.tax-free personal allowance to ?11,500 from April next year.
:05:15. > :05:24.Raising the threshold for the higher rate of income tax to ?45,000 at the
:05:25. > :05:31.same time. And a new ISA to encourage saving. Fuel duty would be
:05:32. > :05:36.frozen, corporation tax to 17%, and small firms would get their business
:05:37. > :05:41.rate cut permanently. All good news for groups are often oppose the EU.
:05:42. > :05:46.A typical corner shop in Barnstaple will pay no business rates, a
:05:47. > :05:55.typical hairdresser will pay no business rates, Mr Deputy Speaker,
:05:56. > :06:00.?7 billion tax cut for our nation shopkeepers. But how is he going to
:06:01. > :06:04.pay for it. By imposing a massive tax rise on big firms. Scrapping
:06:05. > :06:09.schemes they used to avoid paying business tax. There will be a ?12
:06:10. > :06:12.billion crackdown on tax avoidance and evasion and public sector
:06:13. > :06:18.employers will have to pay more pension contributions. This is a
:06:19. > :06:21.budget that gets investors investing, safer saving, businesses
:06:22. > :06:25.doing business, so we build for working people are low tax,
:06:26. > :06:29.enterprise Britain, secure homes, strong in the world. I commend to
:06:30. > :06:35.the house a budget that puts the next generation first. For a
:06:36. > :06:40.Chancellor with one eye on becoming the next Tory leader, those were the
:06:41. > :06:44.cheers that he wanted to hear. But for all the talk of a brighter
:06:45. > :06:51.economic future, Labour came out fighting, saying it was a recovery
:06:52. > :06:54.built on sand. Failed on the budget deficit, failed on debt, failed on
:06:55. > :06:59.investment, failed on productivity, failed on trade deficit, failed on
:07:00. > :07:06.the welfare cap, failed to tackle inequality in this country. And
:07:07. > :07:11.inequality he said, that was epitomised by the welfare cuts for
:07:12. > :07:15.the disabled. Half a million people with disabilities are losing over ?1
:07:16. > :07:25.billion in personal independence payments, and meanwhile corporation
:07:26. > :07:29.tax is being cut and billions handed out to the wealthy. Outside
:07:30. > :07:32.Parliament some celebrated the sugar tax and others were disappointed by
:07:33. > :07:36.what they saw as a missed opportunity. This budget has little
:07:37. > :07:39.for Wales, the bulk of announcement regarding Wales we knew about
:07:40. > :07:45.already, or they only affect England. What is does is confirmed
:07:46. > :07:49.the failure of George Osborne, everything pushed back. The
:07:50. > :07:55.so-called long-term plan has been abject failure. To finish. The storm
:07:56. > :07:59.clouds that George Osborne said our gathering, but the economy is fit
:08:00. > :08:04.for the future. We'll only know if he is right the referendum is over
:08:05. > :08:06.and he has capped all that spending. So let's look at George Osborne's
:08:07. > :08:08.new UK-wide sugar levy. It'll be based on the amount
:08:09. > :08:11.of added sugar in each product. There'll be two bands -
:08:12. > :08:14.one for drinks like cordials and flavoured waters -
:08:15. > :08:16.with less sugar content - and another band for the sweetest
:08:17. > :08:19.drinks like most colas. Independent figures estimate
:08:20. > :08:21.that these drinks could go up by between 18p per litre
:08:22. > :08:23.and 24p per litre. The levy will be introduced
:08:24. > :08:31.in two years' time - and in England the money raised
:08:32. > :08:33.will go towards school sports. Our Health Editor Hugh
:08:34. > :08:42.Pym has more details. It was a big surprise and could
:08:43. > :08:47.affect almost every family. Today these shoppers worked out what the
:08:48. > :08:51.new levy on sugary drinks to take effect in two years' time, might
:08:52. > :08:59.mean for them. I do not drink it often. It is only because the baby
:09:00. > :09:02.wants it. I think it is a good idea, stop kids buying fizzy drinks all
:09:03. > :09:08.the time. The cost to the NHS and the dentist, it is bad. At the end
:09:09. > :09:14.of the day they are bad but enjoyable. Some campaigners were not
:09:15. > :09:18.hiding how they felt about it. The celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has
:09:19. > :09:21.called for some time for a sugar tax as part of a drive to reduce
:09:22. > :09:28.childhood obesity. It is all geared to reformulation. It is not
:09:29. > :09:31.anti-business, I would say it is a symbolic slap and that is what we
:09:32. > :09:39.wanted. How fine is it that business can do so well, be so prolific, and
:09:40. > :09:44.have genuinely ill health marks on our children. The levy will be on
:09:45. > :09:47.manufacturers, excluding milk -based sugary drinks. It is likely to be
:09:48. > :09:51.passed on to retailers and consumers. The industry argues such
:09:52. > :09:57.a move is not the way to tackle obesity. I think it is unfair and
:09:58. > :10:00.ironic almost that the soft drinks manufacturers who have been in the
:10:01. > :10:06.vanguard of reformulation, making their products more widely available
:10:07. > :10:12.with great choice, it should be those penalised through the measure.
:10:13. > :10:15.The Chancellor says proceeds will be spent on school sport in England, it
:10:16. > :10:18.is up to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland how to use their
:10:19. > :10:24.share. The move comes at a time of increasing concern about obesity and
:10:25. > :10:28.the consequences for health. There's already a strain the NHS and
:10:29. > :10:32.problems often develop in the early years. About 10% of four and
:10:33. > :10:37.five-year-olds in England starting off at school are said to be obese.
:10:38. > :10:44.By the age of ten and 11 that figure has gone up to 19% and when it comes
:10:45. > :10:49.to adults, 25% are obese. Trading conditions linked to obesity costs
:10:50. > :10:54.the NHS in England ?5.1 billion in the last financial year. To put that
:10:55. > :10:57.in perspective, the cost of treating smoking-related diseases including
:10:58. > :11:03.lung cancer costs 3.9 billion. All of that came from a total health
:11:04. > :11:08.budget of ?113 billion in England last year. The head of NHS England
:11:09. > :11:13.says the new policy will help improve children's health. But he
:11:14. > :11:17.says it is just one of the series of measures to be unveiled this year.
:11:18. > :11:22.It is part of a much broader conference of strategy that we need,
:11:23. > :11:27.that also need to take of promotions and advertising and food
:11:28. > :11:33.formulation. So together we think these measures will severely and
:11:34. > :11:37.substantially tackle the problem we have of childhood obesity. Health
:11:38. > :11:39.campaigners hope this is a game changing moment. There's a lot of
:11:40. > :11:43.details still to be worked out. So as we've heard latest
:11:44. > :11:46.forecasts for growth are down and George Osborne says
:11:47. > :11:48.Britain faces a turbulent Our economics correspondent
:11:49. > :11:52.Andrew Verity has been crunching The Chancellor's been preparing us
:11:53. > :12:00.for bad news since at least January, - when he talked about his dangerous
:12:01. > :12:13.cocktail of risks to the economy - What we found out was some of those
:12:14. > :12:14.risks are not just out there in the rest of the world, but happening
:12:15. > :12:21.here. Start with the cooling global
:12:22. > :12:25.economy. Add some turbulent financial markets. Chuck in a slump
:12:26. > :12:32.in oil prices. All the ingredients you need to make the world economy
:12:33. > :12:35.go a little wobbly. As we imbibe the effects we are slowing down as well.
:12:36. > :12:40.The Office for Budget Responsibility now thinks we will be producing far
:12:41. > :12:43.less per person than it had hoped as recently as November. The Obi are
:12:44. > :12:48.slashed its prediction for economic growth this year from 2.4%, to 2.0%.
:12:49. > :12:54.Largely because of that slower relativity. If that is not going up
:12:55. > :12:59.as fast as hoped, earnings will not go up as fast as hoped, the economy
:13:00. > :13:02.will not grow as fast, that is the big change. And that's the thing we
:13:03. > :13:07.should be talking about more than anything else. It really matters.
:13:08. > :13:11.Not just for the Chancellor but how well off we all are. Slower growth
:13:12. > :13:16.should mean less tax money for the Chancellor. But somehow said the
:13:17. > :13:19.official predictions, he's still on course. He will still be spending
:13:20. > :13:25.more than his income, in other words running a deficit, until 2019. But
:13:26. > :13:30.it will not reduce as quickly until the final year when it suddenly
:13:31. > :13:34.turns into a surplus of ?10.4 billion. That is a huge swing and in
:13:35. > :13:39.the last of the Parliament, ?32 billion. What is more he somehow
:13:40. > :13:45.find the money for big tax giveaways like the lifetime ISA and freezing
:13:46. > :13:52.fuel duty. Raising tax trust for next year will cost him ?2.5
:13:53. > :13:57.billion. And more belief for small businesses with business rates will
:13:58. > :14:04.cost 1.4 billion. A giveaway to begin with and then a takeaway, the
:14:05. > :14:08.years for which the government has a target to achieve a budget surplus.
:14:09. > :14:14.What is striking is we do have quite a big squeeze taking place in 2019.
:14:15. > :14:19.That big squeeze will mean big spending cuts. ?3.5 billion in
:14:20. > :14:27.efficiency savings from government departments, but not until 2019.
:14:28. > :14:32.Maybe -- making public sector employees pay more in pensions. Not
:14:33. > :14:34.until 2019. And making it harder to claim money for special equipment if
:14:35. > :14:42.you are disabled, saving ?1.3 billion, but not until 2019.
:14:43. > :14:46.Once it looked like a sturdy would-be front-loaded with a
:14:47. > :14:50.feel-good effect later. Now it is being back loaded, saving a big
:14:51. > :14:56.spending cuts and tax rises to the last year before the next election.
:14:57. > :14:59.Careful, these could have delayed effect.
:15:00. > :15:04.Amongst the other measures announced by the Chancellor today are
:15:05. > :15:07.investments in infrastructure. There's an extra ?700 million
:15:08. > :15:19.for flood defences. There was a commitment to introduce
:15:20. > :15:21.new elected mayors for English academies - taking them out
:15:22. > :15:28.of local authority control. Well let's pause for
:15:29. > :15:30.a moment and take stock. In a moment the view
:15:31. > :15:33.from Downing Street with our Political Editor Laura Kuenssberg,
:15:34. > :15:46.but first to Westminster Simon, quite a few changes for
:15:47. > :15:49.businesses, both big and small? The Chancellor thought he would start
:15:50. > :15:53.small first. Small business is definitely the big winner. The
:15:54. > :15:58.eye-catching one was lifting many of them out of the business rate
:15:59. > :16:02.system. It is a big burden on them and they have welcomed back. That
:16:03. > :16:06.and the corporation tax that is expensive and where will he get the
:16:07. > :16:13.money? That is where big business comes in, their ability to offset
:16:14. > :16:18.big debts against profits. More bad news for the banks because their
:16:19. > :16:24.ability to use losses over the years, that has been constrained.
:16:25. > :16:28.But, big or small, the Kolarov the sky is the same wherever you are in
:16:29. > :16:35.this economy. What we have learned is the sky above us, economically,
:16:36. > :16:41.has been darkening somewhat. Laura, eye-catching measures like the sugar
:16:42. > :16:46.tax, but there are risks for George Osborne? There are, maybe we should
:16:47. > :16:51.call this the hold your nerve budget. Hold your nerve, although
:16:52. > :16:58.compared to other countries we are doing well. But things are slowing
:16:59. > :17:01.down. Hold your nerve, because George Osborne has chosen to keep
:17:02. > :17:05.cutting public spending and will do that all the way through to 2020.
:17:06. > :17:11.But the most sensitive cut, the biggest cut of all, taking money
:17:12. > :17:16.away from payments towards disabled people. Hold your nerve for George
:17:17. > :17:20.Osborne, because he has also made some big promises, trying to show he
:17:21. > :17:25.has not run out of big ideas. So whether that is tax cuts before the
:17:26. > :17:30.next general election, promises to pass powers to regions a way from
:17:31. > :17:36.the Square Mile in Westminster. He is trying to do big things, whilst
:17:37. > :17:40.still having to do with the economy that is recovering much slower than
:17:41. > :17:45.he originally hoped. The big truth of course, we cannot ignore, is
:17:46. > :17:49.fundamentally for all others, the country is less prosperous than we
:17:50. > :17:53.thought before today and less did. And for this Chancellor in number
:17:54. > :17:58.11, who staked his reputation on fixing the economy in 2010, after
:17:59. > :18:02.today, it is clearly very much still a work in progress. Laura and Simon,
:18:03. > :18:06.thank you both. If you want to find out
:18:07. > :18:09.more about the budget - and how it affects you -
:18:10. > :18:11.you can use the BBC's budget Enter a few details and it will let
:18:12. > :18:16.you know if you're better George Osborne has
:18:17. > :18:25.delivered his budget - as latest forecasts say growth
:18:26. > :18:39.in the economy is slowing down. Coming up -- I am live at a
:18:40. > :18:43.hairdressing course at a college in Stockport, asking if people feel
:18:44. > :18:50.better or worse off after the Chancellor's statement. Coming up in
:18:51. > :18:53.sport, England have their world T 20 campaign underway. How did they get
:18:54. > :18:55.on against the West Indies? We will have all you need to know from
:18:56. > :19:05.India. In the American presidential race,
:19:06. > :19:07.the Republican front runner, Donald Trump, has warned
:19:08. > :19:10.of riots if he is denied Mr Trump strengthened his position
:19:11. > :19:14.after winning primaries in three states - though he lost
:19:15. > :19:18.in the key state of Ohio. In the Democratic race,
:19:19. > :19:19.Hilary Clinton extended Here's our North America
:19:20. > :19:26.Editor Jon Sopel. He's young, articulate,
:19:27. > :19:30.telegenic and Hispanic. But Senator Marco Rubio
:19:31. > :19:33.is also a loser. Last night the great
:19:34. > :19:35.hope of the Republican establishment was crushed
:19:36. > :19:39.in his home state of Florida While it's not God's
:19:40. > :19:43.plan that I be president And while today my
:19:44. > :19:48.campaign is suspended... The fact that I've even come this
:19:49. > :19:54.far is evidence of how special Donald Trump made
:19:55. > :20:00.impressive gains last night, winning nearly all the races
:20:01. > :20:03.he fought and is now even further And he's achieved it
:20:04. > :20:06.by bringing in new We have a great opportunity
:20:07. > :20:11.and the people that are voting, Democrats are coming
:20:12. > :20:14.in, Independents are coming in and very importantly,
:20:15. > :20:17.people that never voted before. Donald Trump has had an emphatic
:20:18. > :20:24.victory here in Florida. But perhaps the most striking thing
:20:25. > :20:30.about tonight is what has happened It was to this man, the state
:20:31. > :20:38.governor John Kasich, a moderate Republican who has now
:20:39. > :20:41.vowed to carry on his fight We are going to go all
:20:42. > :20:46.the way to Cleveland and secure the Republican
:20:47. > :20:50.nomination. But the path is strewn
:20:51. > :20:53.with more than confetti. John Kasich staying in the race
:20:54. > :20:56.means the anti-Trump vote is now split between him
:20:57. > :21:02.and Senator Ted Cruz. On the Democratic side,
:21:03. > :21:04.things couldn't be Last night she won
:21:05. > :21:08.all the contests that had been declared, leaving her rival
:21:09. > :21:23.lagging a long way behind. Hillary Clinton's path seems clear.
:21:24. > :21:28.On the Republican side it is more complicated. Donald Trump is way out
:21:29. > :21:32.in front, has over half the delegate votes that he needs, but to get an
:21:33. > :21:37.overwrought majority he would have to perform exceptionally well in the
:21:38. > :21:42.remaining primaries. He could arrive at the convention ahead, but not
:21:43. > :21:45.with the majority. Would the Republican leadership there to mount
:21:46. > :21:50.a coup against him and his supporters to get someone else in?
:21:51. > :21:54.If they did that, Donald Trump has warned there could be riots in the
:21:55. > :21:58.streets and that is a threat people are taking seriously. George.
:21:59. > :22:01.A man shot dead by the police in Brussels yesterday has been
:22:02. > :22:03.identified as an Algerian national who was in Belgium illegally.
:22:04. > :22:06.The raid was linked to the investigation
:22:07. > :22:09.into the jihadist attacks in Paris that killed 130 people last
:22:10. > :22:12.Police say they found a Kalashnikov rifle and the flag
:22:13. > :22:20.of the Islamic State group near the man's body.
:22:21. > :22:26.Two armed men who fled the flat are still being hunted.
:22:27. > :22:30.Here are some other measures that could affect families up
:22:31. > :22:34.They include an increase in the limit for ISA savings
:22:35. > :22:37.Duty on beer, cider and spirits will be frozen.
:22:38. > :22:39.But tobacco duty will rise by 2% above inflation.
:22:40. > :22:41.My colleague Reeta Chakrabarti has been gauging reaction
:22:42. > :22:44.to all of today's measures at Stockport College in Greater
:22:45. > :22:59.George, thank you. It looks like I am in a hair salon, but this is a
:23:00. > :23:04.class going on at Stockport college. People should be in an optimistic
:23:05. > :23:07.mood. The Chancellor described the north-west of England as having the
:23:08. > :23:12.fastest-growing employment rate in the country. But, poor people here,
:23:13. > :23:14.students and the Jews, the young and not so young, it is not all that
:23:15. > :23:16.straightforward. We are the builders,
:23:17. > :23:18.declared the Chancellor. And young adults learning
:23:19. > :23:20.the bricklaying trade 17-year-old Harvey
:23:21. > :23:25.is keen to get on. He is interested in George Osborne's
:23:26. > :23:27.proposed lifetime ISA, encouraging young people
:23:28. > :23:29.to save by giving them a pound You can put your money away
:23:30. > :23:40.so you can start saving for things that you need in life,
:23:41. > :23:43.like a house, car, travel. Just building up that money
:23:44. > :23:45.to get you off in life. I now call the Right
:23:46. > :23:48.Honourable George Osborne, He is one of the Chancellor's
:23:49. > :23:54.next generation. The focus of today's
:23:55. > :23:56.Budget and supposedly one 18-year-old Hayley has been
:23:57. > :24:02.listening to the message too. She is training to be a chef
:24:03. > :24:07.while working part-time and wants She likes the idea of being
:24:08. > :24:13.helped to save, but... The money I make, I have to use it
:24:14. > :24:17.for public transport and also buying At the end of the day,
:24:18. > :24:22.it's a good decision, but it's how are you going to start
:24:23. > :24:25.saving if you don't have the money to start saving
:24:26. > :24:27.with in the first place? Going to do a strand test to see
:24:28. > :24:32.if your hair can take it. For those further on,
:24:33. > :24:35.who already have their own business, there was something to cheer
:24:36. > :24:37.with the Chancellor raising the threshold at which they
:24:38. > :24:39.paid business rates. Good news for Karen,
:24:40. > :24:41.who teaches at the College I've had a rate relief for the past
:24:42. > :24:49.two years and it's been able to sustain and help my business
:24:50. > :24:52.grow, because we've been able to keep the prices at a reasonable
:24:53. > :24:55.price for our client base. And if this continues,
:24:56. > :24:57.and gets better for the area, hopefully the area will grow
:24:58. > :25:02.and my client base will grow again. But for car owners and anyone paying
:25:03. > :25:05.insurance, it was a different story. A tax on premiums will go up
:25:06. > :25:08.by half a percentage point, a smaller increase than expected
:25:09. > :25:11.but it comes on top of the bigger I'm not happy at all because that
:25:12. > :25:18.does affect me. Because I am a car owner,
:25:19. > :25:20.I'm a home owner. I have a mortgage to pay and I'm
:25:21. > :25:24.trying to stand on my own two feet, Welding together a vision
:25:25. > :25:32.for the country with people's personal ambitions,
:25:33. > :25:35.is what Chancellor's George Osborne will hope
:25:36. > :25:41.that what he's produced So let's recap on some
:25:42. > :25:50.of the main points in Latest forecasts suggest that
:25:51. > :25:59.economic growth is slowing down but Mr Osborne said that
:26:00. > :26:01.still leaves Britain ahead Under the changes on personal taxes
:26:02. > :26:05.from next April you won't start paying income tax till
:26:06. > :26:07.you earn ?11,500. And he's introducing a sugar levy
:26:08. > :26:09.on soft drinks aimed Just time for a last word with our
:26:10. > :26:21.Economics Editor Kamal Ahmed. We had there about some of the
:26:22. > :26:27.people affected by this budget is, what does it tell us about the big
:26:28. > :26:30.picture? It shows what difficulties George Osborne is facing. He set
:26:31. > :26:38.himself three rules on the economy. But there would be a welfare cap.
:26:39. > :26:44.That debt would fall by a proportion of national income. That was broken
:26:45. > :26:47.today, debt will now rise. And the final one George Osborne has put his
:26:48. > :26:54.reputation on, there will be a budget surplus by 2020. The economy
:26:55. > :26:58.is not performing as well as was expected. It shows the cocktail of
:26:59. > :27:03.difficulties are close to home and George Osborne has got to get
:27:04. > :27:07.through some pretty tough conditions to get to the budget surplus by
:27:08. > :27:12.2020. He has missed two fiscal rules, will he get the third one
:27:13. > :27:17.right? We will see over the next three years. Thank you very much.
:27:18. > :27:31.The dry weather persisting across the UK. This photo was taken this
:27:32. > :27:36.morning under the cold conditions. Just a few hours later and the sun
:27:37. > :27:40.was out. Temperatures really responding. Many saw some sunshine
:27:41. > :27:44.today but across the South we were fighting a brisk and cold wind,
:27:45. > :27:49.still in evidence overnight tonight. Most of us having a dry night but
:27:50. > :27:54.increasingly misty and murky wants more around parts of eastern
:27:55. > :27:59.Scotland. Three or four Celsius in towns and cities. Some auroral areas
:28:00. > :28:04.will get down to freezing. Cold start to Thursday, particularly
:28:05. > :28:09.around eastern Scotland and the North East coast of England. Any
:28:10. > :28:12.cloud should gradually break up. In the salvation is some sunshine
:28:13. > :28:17.around during Thursday. We have seen a lot of sunshine across western
:28:18. > :28:22.Scotland. Subtle change tomorrow, particularly around the coast. Quite
:28:23. > :28:27.misty and murky on the easternmost coasts and temperatures only getting
:28:28. > :28:31.25 or 6 degrees. Central belts should write it up with eight or
:28:32. > :28:36.nine Celsius here. Bit of sunshine across northern Ireland. Generally
:28:37. > :28:40.sunny for much of the day. A keen breeze in the far south, but not as
:28:41. > :28:44.strong as today and temperatures responding to the sunshine.
:28:45. > :28:48.Temperatures getting into double figures. Largely dry and bright for
:28:49. > :28:52.south-west England and Wales. But more cloud across central and
:28:53. > :28:56.eastern part of the UK. Maybe some drizzle on the east coast. Five or 6
:28:57. > :29:00.degrees. Again, bit of sunshine and we should reach double digits.
:29:01. > :29:05.High-pressure controlling things into the weekend. A lot dry weather
:29:06. > :29:07.this weekend, but don't expect huge amount of sunshine, and it will be
:29:08. > :29:13.on the chilly side. So it's goodbye from me
:29:14. > :29:17.and on BBC One we now join the BBC's