But its still not far enough. Ten months ago, britain stood on the edge of the precipice. A vote for brexit said the government would be disastrous. The hit to the uk economy would be so great, there would be spending cuts and tax rises, almost immediately. Well, what a difference ten months on. As the country prepares to start the brexit process, phillip hammond, todays chancellor of the exchequer, was sounding a very different tone. I report today on an economy that has continued to confound the commentators with robust growth. A Labour Market delivering record employment and a deficit down by over two thirds. As we start negotiations to exit the european union, this budget takes forward our plan to prepare britain for a brighterfuture. And the reason for this cautious optimism is the growth rate for the uk economy for 2017 it has been revised upwards from 1. 4 to 2 , while employment is forecast to grow every year to 2021. Far from the immediate recession predicted by remain campaig