The purchasing managers’ index of activity in the UK construction sector dipped from 61.4 in October to 59.4 in November, which is still well above the 50 mark that divides growth and decline.

The annual deficit has fallen from the record £153bn racked up by Labour in 2009-10 to £97.5bn last year, but progress has now all but stalled as tax receipts disappoint.

As analysts digested the detail of the Chancellor’s ‘mini-Budget’ the ramifications of reforms to stamp duty, business rates and the North Sea tax regime became clearer…

Geoff Parkes, teaching fellow at Aston Business School in Birmingham, said: ‘Thus far, the scheme has accounted for less than two per cent of all lending to small firms.’

IPSE, a body that represents the self-employed, believes the Chancellor could limit contracts to just a month for freelancers, after which they would be forced on to the client’s payroll.

The Chancellor has pledged to eliminate the record deficit racked up by Labour during the financial crisis and return the country to the black by the end of the decade.

Chancellor George Osborne will use tomorrow’s spending review to announce that the Health Service will receive an extra £6billion straight away – rising to £10billion a year by 2020.

Changes sparked a backlash as they were forecast by the Insitute of Fiscal Studies to take £1,000 a year off 3 million families. They have now been halted altogether.

UK Sport has been handed a shock 29 per cent increase in funding, handing a boost to British athletes preparing for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo four years later.

George Osborne says household energy bills will fall by an average of £30 by 2017 as a result of reducing green levies, as outlined in his Autumn Statement this afternoon.

Public funding - known as Short Money - given to opposition parties to prepare to become an alternative government is to be slashed by 19 per cent, in line with Whitehall departments.

The Autumn Statement contained some good news for entrepreneurs as George Osborne pledged to carry on exempting micro companies from paying business rates.

George Osborne showed himself a master of his political trade in yesterday's Autumn Statement - but seems to have abandoned his early enthusiasm for slimming down the size of the state.

The climbdown means George Osborne (pictured) will breach his self-imposed welfare cap for the next three years, meaning a minister must explain and apologise to Parliament.

Part-time students have been handed some good news in today's Autumn Statement with access to maintenance loans to help with living costs during their studies from 2017/18.

He has repeatedly slashed domestic spending, but the Chancellor remains committed to funnelling 0.7 per cent of Britain's GDP into an array of dubious overseas aid projects.

The National Audit Office (NAO) warns today that the health service’s ‘endemic’ financial problems have left it so short of cash that it is having to raid building projects to pay for day-to-day services.

Defying Brexit doomsayers, the deficit came in at £4.3billion in October - below the £6billion expected. The figures emerged on the eve of Philip Hammond's Autumn Statement.

Insurers have slammed the rise which has pushed the tax up to almost double what it was in 2015 and they predict it will lead to an increase in the number of uninsured drivers on the road.

As John McDonnell stood up for his big moment to respond to the Chancellor's spending plans, Labour's MPs were much more interested in their mobile phones than his rambling speech.

The new 'full-fibre' networks will have the capacity to reach speeds of more than 1Gbps, which it is claimed could allow users to download an entire Game Of Thrones series in less than a minute.

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.

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.

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.

Ministers spent £12.6billion more than they received in taxes and other income last month - but economists were pencilling in a figure of £11.6 billion.

Chelsea wing back Dujon Sterling has joined Championship side Wigan on a season-long loan, with Reece James in line to stay and work under new boss Frank Lampard.

Wigan unveiled their gigantic pie mascot on Friday with fans hoping that the savoury snack (contents unknown) can inspire the Latics to Premier League glory next season.

Hearts have secured the signing of Manchester United keeper Joel Pereira on a season-long loan deal.It will be the 23-year-old's fifth temporary spell away from old Trafford.

Derby County captain Richard Keogh (left) has been pictured on crutches for the first time since being involved in a horror car crash that could have ended his career.

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 Christmas decorations are being taken down and New Year's Resolutions are already being broken. The third-round of the FA Cup is now upon us after a festive flurry of football.

Cardiff City are expected to make an improved bid for Wigan Athletic striker Kieffer Moore. An offer of £2.3million was rejected last week but Moore was left out of Wigan's squad against Bristol City.

The Championship trio are all keen to prise the versatile Windass, 26, who can play in midfield or up front, away from Wigan before the transfer window closes next Friday.

The 32-year-old has been training with Salford this season after being released by Wigan Athletic last year. The midfielder was once viewed as a long-term replacement for Paul Scholes at United.

Robinson was left distraught when his £10m deadline-day move to AC Milan collapsed at the last minute in January. However, he could be set for a big Premier League move this summer.

THE SECRET SCOUT: Sportsmail's scout is a top football expert who attends matches each week searching for the next star. This week they bring the full low-down on Wigan's Joe Gelhardt.

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.

You don't need to break the bank to enjoy the finer things in life - you just need to know where to look. Here, we reveal how to live a life of luxury on a budget.

We revealed how some airlines use a 'no-show' clause to cancel return flights if passengers fail to board their outbound leg. Airlines claim this prevents passengers from 'gaming' ticketing rules.

According to a damning 75-page report by the Civil Aviation Authority, there are expensive hidden catches everywhere.

Others have imposed a host of different rules governing the use of coins, notes and debit cards on a range of different routes. British Airways no longer takes cash for food and drink on short-haul flights.

The pound has now dropped to a six-month low against the euro and a two-year low against the dollar. And rates are likely to remain uncertain amid political and economic uncertainty.

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.

Families are facing a dip in spending power for trips abroad this summer as a result of a weaker pound.

Little known Lviv in Ukraine heads up the list of the top ten cities identified by Airbnb as having the highest growth in bookings over the past 12 months.

The best time to book flights for Christmas is 13 weeks in advance - the last week of September - as travellers will get the best price for both flights and accommodation, according to Skyscanner.

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.