Alastair Darling

UK budget as it happened

14.00 GMT

Conservative leader David Cameron goes on the attack - saying the only decent ideas in the budget were stolen from his party.
 
He makes this about politics too. He tells the commons there should be an election now. Well he doesn't have long to wait.

One political pollster tells me that the political budget should play well with voters.

The pollster said:  "Alistair Darling has made the case for keeping on the same path to recovery. 

"The Conservatives have been thrown onto the back foot and will now need to explain to voters how they would make things better".

13.28 GMT

And he's done. We got the usual increase in sin taxes (alcohol, tobacco) and a plan for a new green investment bank which was heavily trailed.