Wing and a prayer budget exposes Brand Rishi – and the myth of Merrie England

The chancellor painted a picture of Britain most people didn’t recognise and gave spending promises he had no idea how to pay for

Budget 2021 live: ‘many to face living standards squeeze’ despite Sunak spending pledges – as it happened

IFS warns take-home pay will fall due to rising prices and taxes; Sunak announces universal credit taper reduction and fuel and alcohol duty cuts

Find out how chancellor Rishi Sunak’s tax and spending plans will affect your personal finances

Analysis: chancellor left with little choice but to go PM’s way, though one passage of his speech was telling

Campaigners say plan provides no extra support for people who are unemployed or unable to work

Chancellor announces measures to help households, with lower alcohol and fuel duties

Simon Clarke makes Maggie Throup look competent as chancellor leaves him to take flak for budget briefing

The chancellor’s spending plan will promise much, but the result will be disappointment, says Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee

UK report on public attitudes to net-zero target also finds widespread support for nationalisation

Hoyle says past chancellors would have resigned for ‘riding roughshod’ over MPs with pre-speech briefings

Government accepts Low Pay Commission’s recommendation of 6.6% increase

A round-up of indications by the chancellor and Treasury of what he is likely to announce on Wednesday

Chancellor will want to show government is looking to future despite supply crisis and Covid

The chancellor is caught between ministers who want to spend more as he prepares for a fiscally conservative budget

Retail sales and confidence are falling, and the net effect of the budget will be deflationary. Rate rises will prove unnecessary