Morning Briefing: Budget day build-up

In the news

The Treasury is holding its cards close to its chest ahead of the big announcement – at least from a housing perspective – with little in the way of media briefings so far.

The BBC says Philip Hammond will “commit to supporting hard-pressed families with the cost of living and address housing shortages”.

But beyond an acknowledgement that the country needs 300,000 new homes on The Andrew Marr Show this weekend, it’s still unclear what policies he might unveil.

Housing is expected to be a central theme of the Budget, as well as Brexit.

The chancellor will call for the UK to face its economic challenges “head on”, according to the BBC.

But The Daily Telegraph quotes a cabinet source as saying this has been the “the worst Budget build-up in history”, while the Financial Times (FT) suggests Mr Hammond’s announcement might be constrained by the pressure he is under from multiple fronts.

The FT also carries a piece pointing to the Conservative housing policies from the 2015 election which are still yet to surface, saying they are “set to embarrass” Mr Hammond.

Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable has called for new commitments on housing in a piece for The Guardian.

And David Orr, chief executive of the National Housing Federation, sets out his asks for the Budget in an article for the Huffington Post.

But The Times carries a piece warning against expecting Mr Hammond to open the floodgates for a housebuilding boom.