Economic stability was at the foundation of the Budget, Number 10 said.

Gordon Brown told a special cabinet meeting on Wednesday ahead of his speech that the key themes of the Budget would be "enterprise, families and public services".

The Budget was again described by Downing Street as being one of the "central building blocks of the parliament".

The chancellor, in a 30-minute briefing, also warned ministers not to expect a bumper payout as he was determined to "continue to pursue a prudent and cautious approach in the management of public finances - whatever difficult decisions that would entail".

Brown also underlined that any investment in public services would have to be matched by reform.

The prime minister, who has been working closely with Brown, gave his support to the report saying it would move forward the government's aim of building a Britain "where enterprise and fairness went together".

Downing Street's official spokesman said it was "warmly received" by ministers and members of the cabinet banged the table with approval - the traditional signal of support.