As expected the European Central Bank has kept its main rate on hold at 0%.

Economists will be paying close attention to the news conference held by ECB chief Mario Draghi at 13:30 GMT.

BBC News Channel

Image source, Director, Resolution Foundation

"Only 11% of the self-employed today are what you might have called traditional entrepreneurs, who are actually employing other people, growing firms," says Torsten Bell, Director of the Resolution Foundation.

"Most of these people nowadays are working either at the top end, in contractor work, in management consultancy, accounting - quite high salaries.

"At the bottom end we are seeing too many young people in particular and young men in particular being put into low-paid self-employment work, what some people would call the gig economy.

"And it's not clear that the tax system should be encouraging either of those things."

BBC News Channel

Philip Hammond is "under massive pressure" over the proposed changes to National Insurance contributions for self-employed people, BBC assistant political editor Norman Smith says.

Backbench Conservative MPs are already lining up to voice disagreement over the measure, and the Labour front bench is also opposed.

"Many Tory MPs take the view that frankly this is an attack on people who they should be seeking to encourage," Norman says.

"Bear in mind the government is already going to be going through a pretty difficult time with Brexit. The question is, do they really want to cause to even more difficulties for the government on the critical issue of tax and the economy?" 

Here on the Business Live page we like Radiohead as much as the next person. So it's a rare treat to get their lyrics referenced in press statements.

Mike Amey, head of sterling portfolio management at US investment firm Pimco, said the UK Budget held "no alarms and no surprises".

"While the Chancellor may have avoided making even one reference to Brexit during his one-hour speech, this budget was clearly set with those negotiations in mind.

"The UK is about to enter a period of potential uncertainty, and the greatest gift the Chancellor can provide to the government is economic protection.

"By holding back spending today, that is precisely what he is aiming to do," he said.

That doesn't sound too much like the thrust of the Radiohead song, though, which at one point says "bring down the government/They don't speak for us".

Image source, Getty Images

Emirates booking rates on US flights fell 35% following January's US travel ban.

And the world's largest long-haul carrier said it is concerned that President Donald Trump's latest travel order will still deter Muslim visitors to the US.  

Mr Trump signed a new executive order on Monday, which takes effect on 16 March.

The order keeps a 90-day ban on travel to the US by citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, and a 120-day ban on all refugees.

"I am concerned. It's the tone of it. We have brought millions of Muslims to the US, but now they may not feel welcome, they may look at going on holiday elsewhere," Emirates president Sir Tim Clark (pictured) said.

Norway's $900bn sovereign wealth fund - the world's largest - could exclude or put on a watch list several firms in the oil, cement and steel industries for emitting too much greenhouse gas.

Carbon emissions are a new criteria for the fund, which was built up from the proceeds of Norway's own large oil industry and operates under ethical guidelines set by parliament.

The fund may also exclude several firms in the defence, telecoms and arms industries this year over the risk of corruption, said Johan H. Andresen, chairman of the fund's independent Council on Ethics.

Victoria Derbyshire

Nigel Mills, the Conservative MP for Amber Valley, says the Chancellor needs to work out the big picture when it comes to self-employment and not focus on tax.

"The issue here is that there are lots and lots of people out there who are made to be self-employed by employers who are banking that saving, who would much rather be employed and have the rights and security."

"If we can fix all those number of people, the amount being loss [to the Treasury] would be much less."

Image source, Getty Images

Tesco is to reimburse 140,000 current and former staff, following errors in their payroll system.

Tesco says that 80% of the employees affected will receive around £40, the remaining 20% could receive a much bigger sum.

The total cost of reimbursing the staff will be £9.7m.

Several Conservative MPs have complained about the Chancellor's proposal to raise National Insurance contributions for some self-employed people.

"There is almost certainly going to be a vote over it," says BBC assistant political editor, Norman Smith.

"It looks like a parliamentary showdown on this is unavoidable," he said.

Advice from BBC personal finance reporter, Simon Gompertz.

Image source, Getty Images

Lego has reported record annual sales. Last year sales were 39.9bn Danish krona, (£4.7bn), that's up 6% on the previous year. 

Net profit rose slightly to 9.4bn Danish krona.

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Conservative MP Anne-Marie Trevelyan has condemned Philip Hammond's decision to increase National Insurance contributions for some self-employed people. 

She says "hard working people have to be sure the Conservative government doesn't use them as a cash cow" and is calling on the Chancellor to reverse the decision.  

The 100 individuals who took £30m in dividends this year, have saved themselves a cool £1m.

Image source, PA

John Lewis Partnership has cut its staff bonus to 6% of annual salary compared with 10% last year.

"This allows us to maintain our level of investment in the face of what we expect to be an increasingly uncertain market this year, while absorbing the costs associated with adapting the Partnership for the future,"  said chairman Sir Charlie Mayfield in the firm's annual report.

He said pricing pressures from the fall in the pound and the shift from shops to online were "significant factors" for the retailer.

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Self-employed solicitor Theresa Hendricks and Mark Lee, an accountant who is now an adviser, discuss what impact rising National Insurance might have for them and what benefits they would want in return.

The FTSE 100 is 0.6% lower in early trading. 

Morrison Supermarkets is the biggest loser with a more than 5% decline, after releasing its annual results.

Investors were more excited about Aviva's results, shares in the insurer are up 5.8%.

"Steady profit growth and plenty of capital generation mean the group can start funneling cash back to investors or fund new expansion as management sees fit,” said Nicholas Hyett, from Hargreaves Lansdown.

Admiral Group is up more than 3%, helped by an upgrade by analysts at JP Morgan. 

Legal & General is 1% higher.

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Insurers have been upset about the government's change to the way compensation is calculated for accident victims.

The "discount rate" governs how much accident victims can get in a lump-sum payout.

Aviva chief executive Mark Wilson says: "For us it doesn't impact profits in the longer term too much, but.. it's certainly disjointed policy-making. It's a bit disappointing."

"What I am delighted with is the government has recognised that the rate isn't sustainable, there's no other country in the world that does it like this, and the people that get hurt are young drivers and old drivers, and that can't continue."