George Osborne will set out £4bn in
extra spending cuts and announce investment in the UK's infrastructure
when he presents his Budget to MPs.
The Budget will "choose the long term" the chancellor will say, warning that the "storm clouds are gathering again".
His eighth Budget will include £1.5bn to turn all state schools in England into academies and extend school hours.
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said the Budget looked to be "a press stunt to hide George Osborne's failures".
Mr Osborne will deliver his Budget at 12:30 GMT, after Prime Minister's Questions, setting out the latest economic forecasts and the state of the public finances.
It comes as new figures show UK unemployment
fell by 28,000 to 1.68 million between November and January. The rate
of unemployment remained at 5.1%, maintaining a decade-low rate, the
Office for National Statistics said.
Following the morning's pre-Budget meeting of cabinet ministers, Mr Osborne tweeted
