GEORGE Osborne claimed Britain was "walking tall again" as he set out his final Budget before the general election.

In a nod to the May 7 poll, he said Britain was facing a "critical choice" as he highlighted economic successes.

Mr Osborne said the Office for Budget had ticked up its growth forecast for this year - to 2.5% compared to the 2.4% it was predicting at the time of the Autumn Statement in December.

Growth will also be slightly higher next year at 2.3% as against a previous forecast of 2.2%, he said.

He told MPs: "Today, I report on a Britain that is growing, creating jobs and paying its way. We took difficult decisions in the teeth of opposition and it worked - Britain is walking tall again."

He said that after a collapse greater than almost any country five years ago, in the last year the UK has grown faster than any other major advanced economy.

He went on: "Five years ago, millions of people could not find work. Today, I can report: more people have jobs in Britain than ever before.

" Five years ago, living standards were set back years by the Great Recession. Today, the latest projections show that living standards will be higher than when we came to office.

"Five years ago, the deficit was out of control. Today, as a share of national income it is down by more than a half."

And he added: "The critical choice facing the country now is this: do we return to the chaos of the past? Or do we say to the British people, let's go on working through the plan that is delivering for you?"