The chancellor is expected to use Wednesday's Budget statement to pledge an annual review of Britain's state of preparedness for the euro.

Whilst he will say the UK will not rerun the economic tests this year, he will not close down the possibility of a referendum during this parliament.

The move is being seen as an attempt to avoid embarrassment for the prime minister.

Brown will also announce his spending plans for 2007/08. Those figures will be pored over by analysts keen to assess whether the chancellor is at risk of breaching his own golden rules on borrowing.

Today's FT reports on focus group research which suggests the chancellor is at risk of "cementing" his reputation as a stealth taxer when he addresses MPs this week.

Meanwhile the Guardian suggests the chancellor will announce £1.5 billion investment in a bid to urgently address the shortage of affordable housing.

The Telegraph suggests that Brown is to mount an assault on the £13 billion lost as a result of tax avoidance schemes.