The Chancellor reaffirmed the Conservative manifesto commitments to lift the personal allowance to £12,500 and the 40p tax threshold to £50,000 by accelerating progress to meeting the goals.

Philip Hammond announced a further freeze until April 2018, which will keep fuel duty at 57.95p per litre, the level it has been at four more than five years.

The Chancellor has revealed an amended 'taper rate' for the welfare payments, which will allow low-paid workers to keep an additional 2p of every extra pound they earn.

Delivering his first fiscal package since the historic EU referendum vote, the Chancellor insisted the government understands the fury of those who have not shared in the wealth generated by the economy.

Tom Birch, 43, from Bath, earns £100,000 a year in his financial services job and receives extra life insurance, dental cover, and critical illness cover through a salary sacrifice scheme.

The announcement does mean there will be two full Budgets next year, in the spring and the autumn, as the new schedule rolls out.

Philip Hammond fulfilled his promise to be an un-showy chancellor today as his biggest 'rabbit' turned out to be a joke about his own abolition.

Few can defend the way that letting agents hit tenants with rip-off administrative fees. These firms cash in every time someone rents a new home, writes DAN HYDE.

Social care for older people is the responsibility of local councils across Britain, and its leaders say that savage cuts have already had to be made due to lower funding from Whitehall.

Philip Hammond said UK output would grow faster than in most EU countries, creating half a million jobs. He vowed to spend billions to boost productivity, build homes and improve transport.

As Hammond speeches go, the Autumn Statement was short and reasonably un-glum. He kept it to 45 minutes. By his own morose standards he was almost skittishly optimistic in places.

Philip Hammond said Britain’s ‘productivity gap’ was ‘well known, but shocking nonetheless’. He told the House of Commons that the UK ‘lags behind’ the US and Germany by 30 per cent.

Hammond has backed recent HMRC proposals for a crackdown on using the loophole for smartphone and gym contracts, buying cars and TVs, or private medical insurance.

The OBR forecast a £122billion rise in UK debt, with £58.7billion blamed on Brexit. That came as it said the UK would not fall into a recession, but growth would be lower.

The Chancellor said the government was treating the estimates from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) as a 'signal' of what might happen.

Five million higher earners will be hit by a £200 'stealth tax on Middle England' because of changes to National Insurance Contributions buried in Treasury documents.

It was not the kind of Autumn Statement we had come to expect under George Osborne – all fire and brimstone – but Philip Hammond’s debut was not without its nasty side.

Former health secretary Stephen Dorrell, who is now chairman of the NHS Confederation, said Philip Hammond (shown) had made a ‘mistake’ by failing to find extra funds in last week’s autumn statement.

A bumper set of FA Cup fixtures continues on Saturday evening with five 5.31pm kick-offs taking place. Follow all the action across the five matches HERE via Sportsmail's SAM MCEVOY.

Holidaymakers should first check whether their credit and debit cards can be used abroad for spending and withdrawing money from ATMs without extra charges.

Although the Christmas decorations have only just been put away for another year, many families' attentions have already turned to booking a holiday.

BA has a number of bonus partner offers which allow travellers to bag more Avios points without spending more than you usually would when sorting out your holiday.

With political rows and the on-off threat of a no-deal Brexit, there's no guarantee what could happen to the pound between now and 31 October - or after that date.

If you were planning a relaxing gondola ride around the canals of Venice or a luxury cruise in the next few months, it is safe to say that your dream holiday is looking a lot less idylic now.

MIKE DICKSON IN MELBOURNE: The 23 year-old at least offered some defiance before she was beaten 6-2 6-4 by Wimbledon champion Simona Halep on a blustery Rod Laver Arena

Austrian tennis star Dominic Thiem faced off against Alexander Zverev in a tense semi-final on Friday at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne.

This summer, former England Under-21 team-mates Theo Walcott and Adam Johnson played golf together in Portugal. At the same time, six of the Germans they faced in the 2009 European Championship final were in Brazil heading towards the World Cup final.

For plenty, the World Cup coming to an end is unwelcome after more than a month of explosive football on the biggest of stages.

They are the bits of tournament television coverage we love to watch but which we also dread, and in the battle of the World Cup 2014 montages BBC just shaded it over ITV.

I like so many other veterans were contacted by a private financial adviser. We were promised good returns of 5-10 per cent a year and the opportunity to gain access to the funds at 55.

Mike Ashley's 13-year ownership of Newcastle is nearing the end. His £300m sale of the club is now in the hands of the Premier League, and he is 'closer than ever' to getting his wish.

The manager was sacked in November and was paid the same fee in compensation, but part of the agreement means any club wishing to employ him within six months has to repay Spurs that amount.

Former Manchester City defender Omar Elabdellaoui is being lined up for a return to England by a string of Premier League clubs. Leicester and Watford are among the sides monitoring him.

The Belgium international has seen his Real Madrid performances come under scrutiny, most notably against Club Brugge when he was substituted at half-time after conceding twice at the Bernabeu.

The Duke of Sussex was reportedly in Buckingham Palace yesterday for a series of meetings to plan his future work in the UK while wife Meghan returned to their son Archie in Canada.

Diamond rock samples that have been uncovered from deep underground in Baffin Island, Canada, form part of the puzzle of Earth's ancient continent, the 2.7 billion-year-old North Atlantic Craton.

Recreational pot sales were up 50 per cent from March 16 to 22, while medical marijuana sales rose 41 per cent year over year as customers prepare for long periods of isolation.

SEBASTIAN SHAKESPEARE: He's been married three times, imprisoned in both the U.S. and Australia, deported from Canada and exposed as a bigamist in the High Court in London.

Hailey Bieber has revealed she's relishing her self-isolation with the Grammy winner, 26, admitting the coronavirus pandemic has allowed the loved-up couple to spend some extra quality time together.

The NBA will begin selling team-emblazoned face coverings with proceeds going to food bank networks across the US and Canada. NBA partner Fanatics will make the masks.

Michael Davy said he bought a male Electus Parrot from fellow Salt Spring Island resident Akhtar Kidwai last year for $2,100, but a month later the bird was diagnoses with a terminal virus.

An animal charity mission to save around 70 dogs from the meat farm in Hongseong finally got underway after Humane Society International worked with the farmer.

The Richmond AFL star, known for his grit on the field, has recently been delving into the fashion world - stepping in front of the lens for a number of campaigns.

Richmond and Carlton ran on to a completely deserted Melbourne Cricket Ground for the Round 1 blockbuster which would normally attract a 90,000 strong crowd.

The 53-year-old was arrested on Saturday night, wearing a dress and a blonde wig, and charged with stalking and breaching a family violence order, among a raft of other offences.

They have inseparable since they debuted their romance last year following his split with his wife, Nadia Bartel. 

A group of three strangers have developed a money-saving app that reminds you to shop around for your electricity, insurance and mobile phone bills when they're due.

She's the uber-talented star of contemporary classics such as American Beauty and The American President. 

The fast food giant is giving families around the country a well-deserved break from the kitchen with free delivery for all orders over $25.

CHRIS FOY - WORLD OF RUGBY: The Nations League concept is back on the table as a means of galvanising international rugby, but if it is going to make a difference, it can't be half-hearted.