The most enticing revelation is from the BBC which believes Darling will attempt to bribe first-time house buyers by scrapping house purchases up to £250,000.

Whilst the most anticipated part will be what he intends to do about the UK’s dire finances. But don’t hold your breath for big announcements on tax rises or spending cuts.

The best summary of expectations for 2010’s budget? How’s this one from Allister Heath at CityAM:

All of the focus will be on Darling’s headline-grabbing initiatives, from more bank accounts for the poor to green investment funds, and on his dubious estimates for the budget deficit, national debt and GDP growth. Yet the real story is the cumulative errors made by the government over the past 13 years – today’s announcement is merely the bitter icing on a very nasty cake.

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And that’s about as cheerful as they come.