Hammond’s budget big five: cuts, pay, housing, roads and students

Does the chancellor upset some by loosening the purse strings, or imperil a government with no majority by wielding the axe? Whatever he decides, some topics will have to be addressedPhilip Hammond will face his toughest test as chancellor on Wednesday when he stands up to deliver his third and most important budget statement. By comparison, the 2016 autumn statement and this year’s spring budget were exercises in treading water. Conservative MPs expect him to set the agenda for the rest o