Burnham feels on safe ground when criticising the Tory deal on Brexitpublished at 12:20 GMT 28 October

12:20 GMT 28 October

Jack Fenwick
Political correspondent

Image source, House of Commons

The PMQs session directly before a Budget is usually dominated by that Budget.

Not so today.

Instead, Kemi Badenoch has chosen to ask Andy Burnham about Brexit.

It’s a preview of the arguments we’re likely to see repeatedly played out over the next few weeks, months, possibly years.

The PM said he’s not re-running arguments on Brexit, but is instead trying to get a better deal for the EU.

Every mention of the deal secured by the Conservatives when they were in government has been greeted by loud jeers and cheers from the Labour benches.

Burnham clearly feels he’s on safe ground when criticising that Tory deal.

But despite the PM’s insistence that his focus is on technical deals around issues like cars and steel, he’s also opened up a conversation about the UK’s future relationship with Brussels and whether that could include free movement.

Badenoch says that isn’t a debate that either the country or Labour backbenchers want.

And while they may not be saying it publicly yet, some of the Labour MPs sat behind the PM agree with her.

Image source, House of Commons

Badenoch says she "cannot believe" the PM wants to reopen the debate on Brexit.

She says the UK doesn't want to re-run it, and the vote to leave the EU should be respected.

The Tory leader goes on to economic challenges, including needing to get taxes down. She asks the PM whether he'll rule out another referendum on the EU or the single market.

Burnham says he has repeatedly set out the red lines on the manifesto, and repeats that he's doing what he can to get a better deal for Britain. The PM then lists who he says supports what the government is trying to do, including the CBI and the British Retail Consortium.

For context, the "red lines" refer to Labour's 2024 election manifesto pledge of "no return to the single market, the customs union, or freedom of movement".

Image source, House of Commons

Still on the Brexit referendum, Badenoch says Burnham wasn't in Parliament in 2017 - but stresses that we "do not want to go through that again".

She says it was "miserable" for everyone regardless which side of the debate you were on because Labour "would not respect the result".

Burnham says "yes the country was paralysed by the party opposite" - adding that that is what Labour is dealing with now.

He adds the chancellor will shortly stand up with a plan for growth while he is doing everything he can for a "better deal for Britain".

Image source, House of Commons

Badenoch says that she stands by her words and mistakes, accusing Burnham and Labour of pretending that "they never do anything wrong".

She asks Burnham about comments he made in May that it would "undermine everything I have said about strengthening democracy if we don't respect that vote".

Burnham responds that "the red lines in the manifesto are firmly in place".

Badenoch retorts that the PM is using the Brexit deal negotiated by the Tories to introduce his own policy changes.

She points to recent announcements to take VAT off energy bills, and scrap import taxes on "hundreds of goods".

"What he should be saying, is 'thank you'," Badenoch says.

She asks once again where Burnham stands on reopening the debate over freedom of movement with the EU, and points out that his own home secretary, business secretary and culture secretary don't want to go there.

"What about the backbenchers, who wants freedom of movement? Let's have a show of hands."

The Commons erupts in jeering, and she goes on: "I know the prime minister doesn't want to look behind him, but nobody raised their hands."

Burnham says he is "trying to get a better deal for Britain".

Image source, House of Commons

Badenoch asks Burnham why he decided in Budget week to reopen debate on freedom of movement.

Burnham replies by saying that we are three weeks away from a UK-EU summit, which will be an opportunity to improve the poor deal the Tories negotiated.

He adds that they need a deal that will back farmers and removes red tape from businesses.

Burnham says the Tories used to stand for these things and asks will she back Britain's negotiating position.

Harry Farley
Political correspondent

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

The prime minister and the chancellor spoke with Ukraine’s President Zelensky this morning in a joint call.

That is notable timing on the morning of the Budget and it comes after Zelensky gave an interview to the Sun newspaper saying his message on defence spending was "don’t delay".

The Ukrainian president said: "Can the United Kingdom trust Russia or not? If not, defence needs to be 100 per cent the priority."

As I mentioned earlier, more money for defence is expected in the Budget.

How much, and where that money comes from? Well, it’s not long to wait.

Image source, House of Commons

Burnham responds by saying that there is "no confusion at all", adding that the government has a "collectively agreed position".

He adds that the "red lines" within the Labour manifesto - including on freedom movement - will "stay in place firmly for the whole of this Parliament".

Burnham adds that what he will not do is defend the Brexit deal negotiated by the Conservatives which "gave us a harder Brexit than was promised".

That deal, he says, has been "bad for growth and bad for control of immigration".

Image source, House of Commons

Leader of the Opposition Kemi Badenoch begins her questions and asks the PM to clear up whether he wants a referendum on rejoining the European Union.

As well as our text updates, there's plenty to watch and listen to as you follow today's Budget.

You'll be able to tune into all the main events of Budget day by tapping watch live at the top of the page:

• Here you'll be able to watch all of the main goings-on in the House of Commons - including PMQs at 12:00 GMT, followed by the chancellor's Budget statement from around 12:30 GMT
• This stream will also feature plenty of interviews, analysis and reaction from across the BBC and a special programme answering your questions on the Budget at 17:30 GMT

But wait, there's more...

If you head to the watch & listen tab at the top of the page, we also have:

• BBC Parliament, where you can skip the analysis and watch a live, uninterrupted feed from the House of Commons all day

• We'll also have an audio-only feed covering all the main events from BBC Sounds

MPs have packed into the House of Commons ahead of what promises to be a busy few hours.

Shortly, Andy Burnham will face opposition leader Kemi Badenoch for Prime Minister's Questions at 12:00 GMT.

After that, it'll be time for Chancellor John Healey to deliver his much-anticipated Budget statement at around 12:30.

We'll bring you all the key lines here and a reminder that you can watch live at the top of the page.

BBC News has been speaking to people on a range of incomes on how they feel about their finances and what they would like to see in the Budget.

Christine Morris, from Worksop, has been retired for eight years and lives on a state pension combined with a small private pension left by her late husband.

"It is very difficult to balance the books," the 78-year-old says. "I do go on holiday, but I'm spending more of my savings to live."

The chancellor announced this morning that standing charges would be removed from gas bills, but Christine, who has a gas boiler, says it's not clear yet whether she will benefit because those costs will be added on to the unit rate.

"I'm not sure I'll be better off," she says.

She thinks there should be some relief for people who live alone when it comes to standing charges on electricity bills, which are typically higher.

She would also like the government to extend access to pension credit, a means-tested benefit for people who have reached state pension age and are receiving £238 or less per week. Christine currently receives £241 and so just misses out.

She was unconvinced by Andy Burnham's pledge to adjust the triple lock so that from 2030 the state pension will rise at least by inflation or 2.5%, with the money saved used to create a free-at-the-point of use national care service in England.

Christine thinks the new service will take time to come in. In the meantime, she fears she will "get less pension and still have to pay out the same for any care I need".

Chris Mason
Political editor

It is the classic image of Budget Day.

The chancellor posing with his ministerial team, and then on his own, on the doorstep of No11 Downing Street, brandishing the Budget red box in front of them.

John Healey is something of a veteran of these moments - he was a junior treasury minister in the noughties - as economic and then financial Secretary to the Treasury.

And before that he was Gordon Brown’s parliamentary private secretary. Believe it or not the waving the box around moment is rehearsed in advance - to make sure this key image isn’t fluffed.

You might think how could it be fluffed? Well, get the angles wrong and, for instance, the chancellor could put the box in front of his face, which is a picture any occupier of No11 would rather avoid.

Image source, PA Media

The chancellor has just appeared outside No 11 Downing Street with the red box.

Inside that box are the details of this year's Budget, which Chancellor John Healey will reveal when he delivers his speech at 12:30 GMT.

For now, he's off to the Commons.

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

Image source, Pool

We are expecting the chancellor to appear soon outside his official residence, holding his Budget red box.

All will be revealed in his Budget speech at 12.30 GMT.

Jack Grey
Live reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Shortly, we'll see Chancellor John Healey emerge from 11 Downing Street holding the famous red box, which will then kick off a flurry of Budget activity that will take us well into the afternoon.

Here's what to expect, and when:

• 11:20 GMT: Healey will pose for pictures outside No 11 with his Budget-containing red box
• 12:00: Prime Minister's Questions will take place in the House of Commons
• 12:30: Healey will present his Budget to MPs - with the Treasury publishing a more detailed report of the plans online at the same time
• 13:30: Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch will deliver her response
• 14:30: We expect the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) - which monitors government spending - to hold a press conference on the Budget plans announced

Stick with us, as we'll be providing live updates on all of it throughout the day. You can also watch live at the top of this page.

Economist and former head of the independent think-tank the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) Paul Johnson expects the scale of tax and spending changes to be limited in this Budget.

Johnson he tells BBC News the "breathing space" that John Healey has promised to create will be a "very small amount" and that the policies will make a "little bit of difference over a short period of time".

He says the changes to standing charges to gas bills will result in "some people gaining and some people losing".

But he expects the scale of tax and spending changes to be "really quite small" because Healey is constrained by government debt.

Healey's inherited headroom - the cash buffer the government has to help meet its own fiscal rules and reduce borrowing - is likely to have gone down slightly, Johnson says.

Interest rates being higher means the government is paying more for its debt, though higher inflation means the government brings in more tax revenue.

"The big decisions of this government… will come next year when we get the Spending Review, when he's actually going to have to make those big decisions," he adds.

Branwen Jeffreys
Education editor

With almost a million young people not in work, education or training - known as "Neets" - there needs to be at least a gesture towards helping them in this Budget.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the UK faced an "economic catastrophe" because of just how many Neets there are, and said he wanted to "invest in the success of our young people".

Significant change has been pushed further down the line, with former health secretary Alan Milburn's review of the number of Neets now expected to be funded out of the next spending review, which will cover from 2029-30 onwards.

That leaves the current apprenticeship levy, where it’s thought ministers could make employers take on 75% of the costs of training over-25s, to create an incentive to bring through more younger adults.

So it’s also worth watching out for any investment in entry-to-work or employability skills.

Since 2011, there’s been an 18.5% real-terms fall in spending by employers on training and development in the UK.

Image source, PA Media

What the gas price announcement really tells us about Healey’s Budgetpublished at 10:55 GMT 28 October

10:55 GMT 28 October

Faisal Islam
Economics editor

I've just returned from a crisp Downing Street to prepare for Politics Live Budget special.

There was a man with a "The End is Nigh" placard, although the economy has defied the doomsterism so far this year.

But perhaps he was referring to rising gas prices.

The unusual morning announcement in standing charges says a lot about this Budget.

It is another measure that helps households a bit, deals with a bugbear for many bill-payers, but which does not cost the Exchequer a penny.

It is essentially a redistribution from high users to low users, and incentive to shift from gas to electricity for heating and cooking.

It’s not just that the chancellor will argue there isn’t the money. He seems to be trying to actively find policies that cost little or no money.

At similarly high unit prices for gas, the Liz Truss government announced a massive universal energy scheme. The absence of that is notable, perhaps more so than the reform to standing charges.