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.

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.

Professional golfer Paige Spiranac hit back after the LGPA released new dress code guidelines banning plunging necklines and short skirts, which she says is discriminatory against female players.

Crystal Palace tweeted a cringeworthy video to announce the £8million signing of James McCarthy from Everton. The clip shows James McArthur outside an internet cafe.

IAN WHITTELL AT EWOOD PARK: Wigan Athletic climbed off the foot of the Championship table on Monday night after playing out a goalless draw with Lancashire rivals Blackburn Rovers.

The 20-year old has been recalled from a loan spell at Morecambe and was wanted by Championship strugglers Wigan Athletic before the ambitious Salford City swooped in.

Wigan defender Antonee Robinson has revealed he needs a medical procedure to correct an irregular heart rhythm before he can play again.

In a rush to obtain holiday money before taking a flight to Corsica, travel journalist Sarah Hartley took out €200 from a Moneycorp machine. A debit card receipt showed she'd been charged £245.

Avios points are effectively the currency of British Airways. You can accumulate them with your everyday spending, and exchange them for first class flights. But how much are they worth?

In the race to be named the most popular family package holiday destination, Tenerife has come out on top for the second year running, according to TravelSupermarket.

The Civil Aviation Authority is readying contingencies, which could include having to repatriate thousands of customers if the travel agent goes bust during their holidays.

It may surprise some but Croatia, Malta and Lithuania are all holiday hotspots appearing on Britons' 2020 wish lists, new research has revealed.

A Travelex customer left almost £590 out of pocket after the travel money provider couldn't complete his order has described an attempt to fob him off with £30 of compensation as 'ridiculous'.

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.

Marian and John Vessey, face losing vast sums for nothing after being refused a refund for a £381 hotel booking while John and Gillie Coghlan had been due to tour Amsterdam.

Mandy Pollard, from Peterborough in Cambridgeshire, first noticed the mark on the tip of her nose two years ago. She only decided to seek medical advice when it became bigger.

Ashan Corrick, 25, from Filton, Bristol, was diagnosed with brain cancer at Southmead Hospital on August 17, after suffering a headache for just two days. He died on December 17.

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT: The horn was the result of a common cancer called a squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Doctors in Chester removed it and covered the hole with a skin graft.

Doctors in the UK have for years been using CAR T-cell therapy to make some immune cells directly target tumour cells in blood cancer patients. But exactly how this process worked was a mystery.

Elizabeth Wurtzel, the author of the acclaimed memoir Prozac Nation: Young and Depressed in America, has died at the age of 52 following a long battle with breast cancer.

Posting an emotional update on Facebook Jez Hughes, 46, wrote that he had never imagined he would become a widower at such a young age. Jez lost his wife to cancer in October, who was just 55.

BBC news anchor Raworth, 51, tweeted that her friend and colleague George Alagiah, 64, would be at the helm of Tuesday's 6pm bulletin for the first time after beating coronavirus.

It appears that Erin Molan may be subconsciously taking fashion tips from the tennis stars playing at the Australian Open

Peter Eckert was flying from Melbourne to Adelaide on Wednesday after spending time at the Australian Open when he delayed flight was turned around.

During his second round win at the Australian Open, Nadal hit a forehand return down the line straight into the head of the ballgirl, standing by the umpire's chair, and apologised with a kiss on the cheek.

The world number one had a scary moment during his round two victory over Argentina's Federico Delbonis in the second round.

Hot headed tennis ace Nick Kyrgios has apologised for launching an 'unacceptable' tirade during his nail-biting second-round match at the Australian Open.

Karl Stefanovic joked that he's been blacklisted from the Australian Open after pulling a stunt with a go-kart during a segment for Today on Friday.

While she would have been hoping to bow out in a blaze of glory, Wozniacki insisted she was proud of her career and had no regrets about the way it had panned out.

Allison Langdon recently made a successful return to the Today show opposite Karl Stefanovic. 

Patrick Mouratoglou, the Frenchman who supervises Serena Williams' career, admitted that he was shocked by her exit to Qiang Wang on a day of shocks at the Australian Open.

Actress Pia Miller and her multimillionaire boyfriend Patrick Whitesell packed on the PDA while attending the Australian Open on Sunday. 

Having been pushed to the brink by John Millman in a classic on Friday, Federer again dropped the opening set to Hungary's Marton Fucsovics. But this time he did not need a deciding set, winning in four.

Australian Open fans did a double take on Saturday night when they thought Liam Hemsworth was taking on Nick Kyrgios in a third-round match-up. 

Australian world number one Ash Barty has defeated Czech player Petra Kvitova to reach the Australian Open semi finals.

MIKE DICKSON IN MELBOURNE: Four years on from his terrifying collapse on the Rod Laver Arena Nigel Sears will be back in the Australian Open for a big match.

Novak Djokovic paid tribute to Kobe Bryant as he continued his march through the Australian Open draw with a straight-sets victory over Milos Raonic in the quarter-finals.

Ash Barty's face is all over Melbourne endorsing range of products as she moves towards becoming the first homegrown female champion at the Australian Open in 42 years.

The former Australian tennis star, 34, interviewed her good friend after she beat Kvitova in the quarter finals of the Australian Open on Tuesday afternoon.

In an extremely close match at Melbourne Park on Monday night, Nadal snatched victory in the final set tiebreaker despite Kyrgios being in form and serving 25 aces.

MIKE DICKSON IN MELBOURNE: The quarter-final action in the men's and women's singles at the Australian Open continued on Wednesday.

MIKE DICKSON IN MELBOURNE: An aggravated Rafael Nadal was spent spinning out of the Australian Open by a brilliant performance from Austria's Dominic Thiem.

Tennis player Caroline Wozniacki and husband David Lee stepped out in style for an event this week.

MIKE DICKSON IN MELBOURNE: Despite facing a partisan crowd on the Rod Laver Arena the 32-year-old Serb showed again just how hard he is to beat at a venue where he has won seven times.

MIKE DICKSON IN MELBOURNE: Barty cradled her 12-week-old niece as she tried to shrug off the disappointment of ending Australia's long wait for a homegrown women's Open winner.

MIKE DICKSON IN MELBOURNE: Joe Salisbury's 18-month journey from obscurity to Grand Slam winner is one step away from completion after he reached the Australian Open final.

The 23-year-old lost her semi-final match in 40C heat to American Sofia Kenin on Thursday, going down in straight sets.

MIKE DICKSON IN MELBOURNE: In the unlikely event of Dominic Thiem making it third time lucky in a Grand Slam final nobody could accuse him having it easy.