Chancellor Philip Hammond preparing his speech in Downing Street
Chancellor Philip Hammond has announced an additional £350million of funding for the Scottish Government.
A further £200 million for the Welsh Government and almost £120 million for an incoming Northern Ireland Executive will also be allocated.
With Mrs May attempting to see off the potential for a second Scottish independence referendum, Mr Hammond said his package was “demonstrating once again that we are stronger together in this great United Kingdom”.
In a speech littered with jokes – despite being nicknamed “Spreadsheet Phil” because of his usual style – Mr Hammond set out a series of measures aimed at addressing the UK’s productivity gap.
The package included £300 million to fund research, including support for 1,000 PhD places and fellowships focused on science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) subjects.
There was also £270 million to fund biotech, robotics and driverlesss vehicles, £16 million for 5G mobile technology and £200 million for broadband.
A £220 million transport fund for national roads will see £90 million for the North and £23 million for the Midlands, while councils will be able to bid for a share of £690 million to tackle urban congestion.
Budget 2017: Hammond pledges additional £350m for Scottish Government
