Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption George Osborne tells MPs "more difficult decisions" to come

George Osborne has said the UK is growing faster than any other major economy thanks to his policies, but the job of recovery was "not yet done".

Delivering his Autumn Statement, the chancellor said Britain was set to be back in the black by 2018/19.

But money was still tight and millions would have to wait longer before they got a state pension.

He said his plan was "working", but Labour said he was "in denial" about the "cost-of-living crisis".

If George Osborne were to remain chancellor after the election, the austerity would roll on and there would be a significant reduction in what many would see as the state

"For all his complacent boasts, for three damaging and wasted years, for most people there is no recovery at all," said shadow chancellor Ed Balls.

Mr Osborne announced in his speech plans for the pension age to "keep track with life expectancy" to save future taxpayers £500bn.

The date when the state pension age rises to 68 will be brought forward to the mid-2030s - it had not been due to kick in until 2046 - and the age could rise to 69 by the late 2040s.

It means people now in their forties will not get the state pension until they are 68, while those in their thirties will have to wait until they are 69.

Other key announcements include:

BBC political editor Nick Robinson said the government was worried economic growth might not continue as it was mainly based on consumer spending, so Mr Osborne had been aiming to deliver a "steady-as-she-goes" statement.

He was keen not just to savage Labour's record, but to lay political traps for the future, too Read Iain's full analysis

BBC business editor Robert Peston said the small budget surplus predicted for 2018/19 depended on the government slashing public spending as a proportion of GDP to levels last seen in 1948, which he said was a "remarkable change".

Lib Dem Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander insisted the recovery was not just dependent on consumer spending, but he stressed there was a need for businesses to start investing again.

The chancellor used his speech to cap business rate increases in England to 2% next year, rather than the rate of inflation, in an effort to boost firms and High Streets.

And he announced a £1,000 discount in business rates for small shops and pubs, for the next two years, and halved rates for new occupants of vacant shops.

Download the documents Full Autumn Statement documents [2.33MB] Most computers will open PDF documents automatically, but you may need Adobe Reader Download the reader here

Mr Osborne began his 50-minute statement by saying the UK was now growing faster than any other major economy but he stressed he wanted a "responsible recovery" and warned of "more difficult decisions" to come on spending.

He acknowledged that the effects of the economic crash on family budgets were still being felt, but he pledged: "The hard work of the British people is paying off and we will not squander their efforts."

He added: "The plan is working - it is a long-term plan for a grown-up country. The job is not yet done but Britain is moving again - let's keep going."

The Autumn Statement is a half-yearly update on the Budget, allowing the chancellor to give MPs a guide to his tax and spending plans.

These plans are based on the economic projections provided by the Office for Budget Responsibility - a body set up in 2010 to provide independent economic forecasts.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Ed Balls: "The Chancellor is in complete denial... for most people in our country living standards aren't rising they are falling year on year on year"

Responding for Labour in the Commons, shadow chancellor Ed Balls said Mr Osborne had broken his promise to balance the UK's books by 2015 and said that, despite the improved growth forecasts, the economy was in far worse shape than Mr Osborne had predicted it would be at this stage.

Mr Osborne's announcement on the state pension age sparked anger among trade unions and campaign groups, with the TUC saying "today's young workers are being told they must work until they drop".

Plaid Cymru's leader at Westminster Elfyn Llwyd said it was "seriously unfair" because life expectancy in some parts of the country was 75.

The SNP's Stewart Hosie said a "modest" increase in cash for Scotland, through the Barnett formula, would "barely dent the massive cuts we have had in capital and revenue spending over the past few years".