Philip Hammond is expected to announce the launch of a 50p Brexit coin in the budget.

It is understood that the coin will be available from 29 March, the day Britain leaves the EU.

The coin will bear the words "Friendship With All Nations"

Details of the announcement were first reported by The Sun, which has been campaigning for the government to mark the moment.

The Treasury declined to comment ahead of the budget speech.


Image: A 50p coin marking a century since women were given the right to vote was launched in January

Treasury sources told the newspaper that the department has been working on plans for the coin in secret for months.

Mr Hammond has now issued an order to the Royal Mint advisory committee to draw up a design for the coin, which will be signed off later this year, The Sun reported.

The chancellor's move acknowledging the historic significance of Brexit is being seen as a concession to pro-Leave MPs who see him as too pessimistic about the divorce.

Coins have previously been launched to mark other occasions - such as the centenary earlier this year of the Representation of the People Act, which saw women allowed to vote in the UK for the first time and also widened the franchise for men.