Spring Statement 2018 - as it happened: Philip Hammond accuses Labour 'Eeyores' of 'relentlessly talking Britain down'
All the updates from the Chancellor's first Spring Statement, as it happened
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Your support makes all the difference.Philip Hammond has delivered his first ever Spring Statement, in which he announced slightly higher economic growth than expected.
The Chancellor - who has been criticised for being gloomy over Brexit - also attacked Labour as "Eeyores" for "relentlessly talking Britain down". In contrast, he said, his approach was more akin to "Tigger".
In a short speech that was stripped of tax and spending measures, Mr Hammond confirmed an expected drop in borrowing, higher-than-predicted GDP growth and the recent elimination of the deficit on day-to-day spending.
Meanwhile, Russia hit back at Theresa May after she issued an ultimatum to Vladimir Putin over the use of a deadly Russian nerve agent against an ex-spy and his daughter.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the British government had refused to provide Moscow with access to materials related to the substance used to poison Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury last weekend.
And in Brussels, MEPs said the Prime Minister has not provided enough clarity on Brexit ahead of a crunch vote to decide the EU's Brexit vision.
See below for live updates
Welcome to The Independent's politics liveblog, where we will be bringing you all the latest from Westminster and Brussels throughout the day.
Top of the agenda today is the fallout from the poisoning of ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury.
Theresa May has given Vladimir Putin 24 hours to explain how a deadly Russian nerve agent was used in the assassination attempt on British soil, as she said it is “highly likely” Moscow was responsible.
Here's our story:
Theresa May’s statement about the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skirpal was tough, which will not be taken kindly by the Kremlin, writes International Editor Chris Stevenson.
Read his take on the tit-for-tat diplomatic measures expected to follow.
Over in Brussels, the EU has warned Theresa May that she still has not provided enough clarity on what sort of relationship she wants with the EU after Brexit despite her latest Mansion House speech earlier this month.
Story here:
David Miliband has criticised Jeremy Corbyn’s Commons response to the poisoning of Sergei Skripal, saying he should be “standing up for British citizens”.
The Labour leader “sounded like President Trump” in calling for dialogue with Vladimir Putin when the Russian double agent and his daughter had been left in “mortal danger” by the nerve-agent attack, he warned.
Story here:
Russia has so far been thoroughly unimpressed by Theresa May's comments on the Salisbury spy attack. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has tweeted this video, mocking Britain by claiming it would also blame Russia for the recent snow.
Brexit preparations have cost at least £400m in the current financial year, with the bill estimated to reach £2bn by Brexit day in March 2019, according to new research.
The report by the Institute for Government (IfG) into Whitehall spending claims that after strict controls on departmental budgets, Philip Hammond is “loosening his purse strings”.
Story here:
Strikes by university staff could be called off this week after employers and union bosses appeared to reach an agreement over a bitter pensions dispute that has disrupted campuses across the country.
The University and College Union (UCU) agreed on an interim solution with Universities UK (UUK) on Monday after six days of talks through the conciliation service Acas.
Story here:
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