Snowmail: a budget for stormy times

Alistair Darling's first budget - he's taxed a bit, borrowed a bit and given a bit to the poor. At the same time it's given him an opportunistic facility for hitting drivers of heavy polluting cars, and drinkers.

As for the state of the national economy, the chancellor is forecasting a tad less growth than previously forecast, at just under 2 per cent.

That does compare favourably with many other European countries. Government borrowing though is set to jump steeply.

The Tories have declared the British economy a disaster zone and effectively accused both Mr Brown and Mr Darling as steering the British economy onto the rocks by borrowing too much, spending too much and failing to provide for the hard times ahead. Tonight the fine details of the British budget, and its consequences.

We'll be debating it with all three parties, together with a financial expert.

Read our FactCheck on this year's budget

Sex scandal governor quits
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Whilst I've been penning this, Eliot Spitzer has resigned as governor of New York over his involvement in an international prostitution ring. His poor old wife looking even ill-er than last night, pursing her lips and trying to contain her despair. Jonathan Rugman in Washington is following - by that I don't mean he is pursing his lips nor is he in despair. Did Manchester police chief kill himself?
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Very sad stuff from Manchester tonight - Britain's second biggest police authority is trying to come to terms with the possible suicide of their chief constable. Michael Todd's body was found yesterday about 100m from the summit of Snowdon. He was smelling strongly of alcohol and it's reported he had sent a series of disturbing messages from his blackberry.

This is quite out of the ordinary in British society - the apparent self destruction of a man of his stature and potential. The post-mortem is underway.

Fresh probe into Mann coup
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There is renewed interest in the involvement of Britons in the failed attempt to overthrow the government of Equatorial Guinea. This follows our exclusive interview last night with a leading figure in the coup plot, Simon Mann. In the interview, which was conducted in the prison in EG where Mann is awaiting trial, he made his first public confession of involvement saying he was the "manager" of the plot but "not the main man". We understand that our interview has sparked renewed interest by Scotland Yard regarding the possible involvement of British citizens in the attempted coup.

Bad weather: blow to horseracing ================================

More bad weather - big blow to horseracing and to people of a betting disposition. Cheltenham races amongst others has been cancelled. Although some of the races will be run tomorrow. There are big financial implications.

Monks march for liberty =======================

From China tonight Lindsey Hilsum on the serious new Monk-led protests in Tibet and the rising concern amongst the Chinese authorities that pre-Olympic liberation politics are already raising their head.

Big Apple ballet returns to London ==================================

Finally, the New York ballet hits London for the first time in quarter of a century - one of the most innovative and exciting dance troupes in the world. Nick Glass's report at seven. See you then, best wishes, Jon Snow.

On More4 News tonight - we'll cover the budget too, though maybe at less length - and we'll ask one quite central question: how important is it, really? Sure we all love the pantomime of budget day - holding aloft the red box, wondering how long the speech will be, guessing what the chancellor will drink, the parade of MPs getting interviewed, and so, familiarly, on and on.

But does budget day actually affect the wealth of an average individual? It did in the 60s and 70s maybe - but in the modern world economy, aren't we clinging to a comfort blanket of control? Well, maybe we're not. We'll be asking, anyway.

Also - why is Britain likely to deport a young gay man back to Iran, when we know for a fact that Iran persecutes gays? It's not as if we're particularly friendly to the Iranian regime, so why are we doing it?

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