Summary

  • OBR downgrades UK growth forecasts

  • Sugar tax on soft drinks to be introduced

  • Fuel and beer duties frozen

  • New rail lines including Crossrail 2 and HS3 get green light

  • US Federal Reserve holds interest rates

  1. Soft drinks shares lose their fizzpublished at 13:58

    CansImage source, Getty Images

    In response to the new sugar tax on soft drinks, AG Barr shares are down 4.9% and Britvic is down 2.5%, while Coca-Cola HBC has shed 0.6%.

    Sugar producer Tate & Lyle is off 1.5%.  

  2. Chancellor not impressed at responsepublished at 13:55 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March 2016

    Budget

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    George Osborne
    Image caption,

    The Chancellor appears unimpressed by Mr Corbyn's assertion that 97% of the senior staff working on the Northern Powerhouse project work in London.

  3. Recovery is 'built on sand': Corbynpublished at 13:53 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March 2016

    Jeremy Corbyn

    Deputy Speaker Lindsay Hoyle has to intervene as Tory MPs heckle Mr Corbyn. But the Labour leader continues: "It's a recovery built on sand on a Budget of failure. [The Chancellor's] failed on the budget deficit, failed on debt, failed on investment, failed on productivity, failed on trade deficit, failed on the welfare cap, failed to tackle inequality in this country." 

  4. Insurance premium tax to fund flood defencespublished at 13:49 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March 2016

    The chancellor has announced a 0.5% rise in insurance premium tax, with the money being spent on funding flood defences.

    Unveiling the measure in the Budget, he announced new projects to protect five areas in Cumbria and Yorkshire.

  5. Chancellor announces road and rail projectspublished at 13:49 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March 2016

    George Osborne name-checks his Northern Powerhouse proposals as he announces the HS3 rail scheme and widening the M62 between Leeds and Manchester, and improved road links in the North Pennines.

    He then joked the Crossrail 2 scheme for London would be welcomed by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to head south from his Islington constituency.

  6. 'Six years of failure', says Labour leaderpublished at 13:48 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March 2016

    Mr Corbyn says that the Budget delivered by Mr Osborne was "the culmination of six years of his failures". He adds: "Growth is revised down last year, this year and every year that's forecast - business investment is revised down, government investment revised down."

  7. Poorest 'are suffering most': Corbynpublished at 13:45 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March 2016

    The Labour leader attacks the Chancellor for helping the rich, privileged, and his "mates". It was a budget for hedge fund managers, Mr Corbyn says. "The poorest have suffered the greatest proportion of the losses. This Budget could have been a chance for real commitment to fairness and equality. The Chancellor has failed." 

  8. Jeremy Corbyn responds to the Budgetpublished at 13:42 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March 2016

    It's Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's turn now. "This budget has unfairness at its core," he says at the start. 

  9. An end to personal pensions?published at 13:40 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March 2016

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  10. That's all from the Chancellorpublished at 13:38

    George Osborne's speech has finished. Plenty in there to digest.

  11. Do the sums add up?published at 13:37 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March 2016

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  12. End of the 3:30pm school bellpublished at 13:35 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March 2016

    The end of the 330pm school bell was confirmed by the Chancellor, with funding for activities including extra sport in England. Mr Osborne said he hoped the devolved regions would follow suit. 

    He also said that fines from the Libor financial scandal will be used to help support children's hospital services in Manchester, Sheffield, Birmingham and Southampton. 

  13. Beer duty frozenpublished at 13:32 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March 2016

    The Chancellor turns to something dear to many people's hearts:

    • Beer duty and cider duty to be frozen.
    • Duty on whisky to be frozen.
    • Other alcohol duties to rise in line with inflation.

  14. Fuel duty frozen for sixth yearpublished at 13:31 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March 2016

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  15. Disability budget 'to rise by more than £1bn'published at 13:29 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March 2016

    The Conservative government will spend more in real terms on disability payments than any Labour administration, George Osborne has said.

    Delivering his Budget, he told MPs that the money would be "better targeted" at those who needed it most, and that the budget would rise by more than £1bn.

  16. Fuel duty frozenpublished at 13:28 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March 2016
    Breaking

    The Chancellor is freezing fuel duty. He says the move means a £75 a year saving for the average driver: It's "the tax boost that keep Britain on the move."

  17. Commercial stamp duty changes announcedpublished at 13:26 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March 2016

    The chancellor announced measures in the Budget that he said would see "big tax cuts for small firms", with new rates for commercial stamp duty.

    He said it followed the success of stamp duty changes announced in a previous budget for people buying homes.

  18. Sugar tax being introducedpublished at 13:26 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March 2016
    Breaking

    A sugar levy will be introduced on soft drinks. It will come into force in 2018 to give the industry time to adjust, the Chancellor says. The £520m expected to be raised will be used to help support school sport. 

  19. Insurance premium tax rises... slightlypublished at 13:23 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March 2016

    Insurance premium tax to rise by 0.5% to 10% with proceeds diverted to flood relief. The tax was already increased last year, from 6% to 9.5%. But insurance premiums have been falling after a crackdown on so-called "ambulance chasers" and personal injury claims.

  20. 'Smaller businesses appear winners'published at 13:21 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March 2016

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