With manifesto pledges ranging from health and education policy, to the introduction of "text lanes" to help mobile phone users stop walking into lampposts, 14 candidates are standing in the Witney by-election on 20 October, prompted by the resignation of ex-PM David Cameron.

Robert Courts, a 37-year-old barrister from Bladon, Woodstock, is the deputy leader of West Oxfordshire District Council having first been elected in 2014. He says he wants to focus on transport - such as tackling safety and congestion on the A34 - affordable housing, education, superfast broadband provision and championing independent shops.
He says: "I believe it is vital that Witney and West Oxfordshire residents continue to have a strong local voice in Parliament and I will work tirelessly to ensure that residents' views and concerns are heard."
Duncan Enright is a West Oxfordshire councillor and stood against David Cameron in 2015. He prematurely announced his defeat in the local elections in May, before a bundle of missing ballots was found. Focusing on education, transport and health, he says he wants to ensure Witney "continues to thrive for everyone".
He says: "A lot of David Cameron's time is taken up with national and international issues, and that's been to the detriment of West Oxfordshire."
Liz Leffman has been a West Oxfordshire councillor for the Charlbury and Finstock ward, and was the Lib Dem candidate for Witney in 2005. She runs her own company, which offers advice to businesses trading with other EU countries. She aims to campaign to save hospital services in Banbury, Chipping Norton and Witney and local bus transport. She is also pro-Europe.
She says: "I am clear that for the sake of jobs and the future of young people, Witney will be better off in Europe."
Dickie Bird served in the Army with the Royal Green Jackets, now The Rifles. More recently, he was head porter at Oxford's Oriel College. He stood as UKIP's candidate for Banbury at the 2015 general election. He says he wants to "do more to look after all those who have lived and paid tax here for years".
"On leaving, [the Army] I found the local council very unhelpful. This made me realise that in order to change things for people, it is no good railing at the radio and TV and sitting back; instead I felt that I had to get involved and do something to make things better."
Larry Sanders is the Oxford-based brother of Bernie Sanders, who fought Hillary Clinton to be the Democratic presidential candidate in this year's US election. Originally from New York, he is a social worker and lawyer, aiming to reduce inequality and increase the use of renewable energy to combat climate change.
He says he is also committed to bringing the NHS fully back into public hands, protecting public services in Witney and backing local campaigns for a light railway to ease congestion on the A40.
Winston McKenzie, a former boxer and Celebrity Big Brother housemate, is standing for the English Democrats, having previously fought elections for UKIP, among others.
The English Democrats call for the creation of a parliament for England and further devolution to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Adam Knight is an entrepreneur and angel investor, as well as a trustee at London's Roundhouse performing arts venue.
He says, ahead of polling day, he has time to "build a new movement: investing to create prosperity and opportunity for all in society".
Dr Helen Salisbury is an Oxford GP and lecturer at Oxford University Medical School, and stood as the NHA candidate in Oxford West and Abingdon in 2015. She campaigns to end privatisation of parts of the NHS, and increase funding for health and social care.
She says: "The NHS is valued and relied on by all my patients, whatever their politics. The medical students and junior doctors I teach do not want their future to be in multinational healthcare corporations but in the NHS, publicly provided, free and fair."
Emilia Arno was raised in Luxembourg and moved to the UK six years ago, to pursue an academic career in arts and education. The One Love Party calls itself "techprogressive" and aims to "unite humanity for world peace". Ms Arno says she felt "it was about time that the youth have an official political platform from which to express their views and get their voices heard".
It campaigns strongly for emergency action to deal with what it calls the air pollution pandemic.
Daniel Skidmore is a fitness instructor from Witney. He has recently been involved in a campaign to save the derelict Witney football stadium from being turned into an office complex, and has criticised the "parachuting" in of candidates into the contest from outside the area.
Nicholas Ward is standing on a single issue, opposing the HS2 rail project. He says he wants the money to be spent on improvements to existing rail infrastructure and on the NHS. "I believe this High Speed 2 project is a huge mistake and want to try to stop it before it is too late," he says.
"I hope to rekindle the spirit shown in the recent referendum and to provide an opportunity for Witney voters to send a strong signal to the established parties that they do not want their taxes spent on grandiose vanity projects and that there are better ways of spending such huge sums of their money."
David Bishop has been fighting for votes since taking on Neil Hamilton in Tatton in 1987. Among other issues, he calls for a tax on junk food and fizzy drinks and better daytime television for people on benefits. His greatest success came in 2014 when he beat the Liberal Democrats in a local council by-election.
He says: "Apart from being a keen fan of Elvis, I'm also interested in green issues such as global warming, the destruction of the Amazon rainforest and the attempts by Tesco to take over the high street."
Mad Hatter stood in the 2015 general election in Oxford East, and previously for Oxford City Council in 2014. He has previously called for the House of Lords to be rebranded as "The House of Humpty-Dumpty and all the King's Horses and all the King's Men", as well as reducing the minimum voting age to eight.
Lord Toby Jug (real name Brian Borthwick) founded The Eccentric Party of Great Britain in 2015 after leaving the Monster Raving Loony Party. Among his policies are to introduce slot machines on electronic gadgets to stop children spending so much time playing with them and "text lanes" to stop mobile phone users walking into lampposts.
He says: "We love to prick the balloon of pomposity of the major established political parties and highlight the arrogance and folly of their policies with a large custard pie in the face."


A drama teacher who took one of her pupils to see a West End show and later had sex with the girl in her car has been banned from working in the profession for five years.

Sarah Barton, 36, admitted having a relationship with a pupil at the Essex school she worked at until 2016.
The National College for Teaching and Leadership heard she had showed someone a photo of her kissing the girl.
The panel found she fell short of the standards expected of her profession.
Mrs Barton, who had worked at the school - which was not named in the panel's report - since 2007 and was head of dance and drama there, met the girl in the academic year 2015/16.
The pair's friendship eventually "culminated in a sexual relationship", the misconduct panel heard.
They would meet in the school office or in "numerous public places", and went to see the musical Matilda together during half term in June 2016.
Mrs Barton admitted she had failed to maintain boundaries and had abused her position of trust by having a "sexually motivated" inappropriate relationship with the pupil.
The panel said Mrs Barton was "dedicated to her career and to ensuring that the pupils at her school received the best education available", and described her as "an asset to the profession".
A colleague said she was an "exceptionally well respected member of staff". The male co-worker said he would be happy for Mrs Barton to teach his daughter, in spite of knowing what she had done.
Mrs Barton had experienced "significant trauma" a few months before the relationship started, the panel heard.
On behalf of the secretary of state, Alan Meyrick said he believed a ban from teaching - which would be reviewed after five years - was "proportionate and in the public interest".


On the morning of 7 July, Jonathan Downey, 34, left his home in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, with his wife Veronica for their daily commute to London.

They said their final goodbye and parted at Euston, where he took the westbound Circle Line train and died in the Edgware Road blast.
Mr Downey, whose family hailed from Ireland, was a human resources systems development officer for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
He was survived by his wife, his father, his twin brother Liam, his sisters Mary and Julie and another brother, Shay.
Mr Downey, who was born on 15 March 1971, grew up in Corby, Northamptonshire and met Veronica when they were both teenagers.
They studied business and finance together at Tresham College in Kettering, Northants and married in 1999.
He worked in the payroll department at Corby Borough Council before moving to a similar job at Kensington and Chelsea Council in 2001.
Councillor Merrick Cockell, the leader of the council, said: "He was a very friendly and approachable person and very knowledgeable and skilled at his work.
"Everyone who knew Jon and who worked with him, will miss him enormously."
The Downeys moved to Milton Keynes in 2003 to be closer to London.
Mr Downey was a big fan of Liverpool Football Club and a keen walker.
His widow said: "He was a big joker who enjoyed winding up his friends. He lived life to the full and enjoyed the day for the day.
"Jon was also very cerebral. He was very conscious of those less fortunate that himself. At his funeral, friends were invited to donate money to the NSPCC."
She said: "Jon was a good listener and a good friend to people in need. He was a rock to me when I was going through a difficult time at work."
Mr Downey and his wife were members of the Woodlands Trust and a group of 50 relatives and friends gathered in woodlands near his home and planted trees and shrubs in his memory.
There is a bench at the site with his name on it and another one outside Kensington and Chelsea Town Hall.
His wife said they had planned to move to Ireland before his life was cut short.
Mrs Downey said: "Ironically Jon used to pick up a packet of cigarettes and announce 'These will never kill me'. He was right."


Illegal home testing kits for HIV are giving people incorrect results, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has warned.

It said there were issues with other tests for sexually transmitted diseases which were legal but might also be inaccurate.
The body is investigating a UK website which is selling the tests.
The Health Protection Agency has written to some of those affected to say the tests are unreliable.
Sales records gathered during the investigation showed that about 500 tests for sexually transmitted diseases - such as HIV, chlamydia and syphilis - had been sold.
It warned that as well as home HIV tests being against the law, the other tests did not meet European regulations.
Susanne Ludgate, MHRA clinical director of devices, said: "We're concerned that there may be a number of self-test kits being sold online that may not be compliant with the relevant piece of legislation and we're urging people not to consider the internet as a method of anonymous testing.
"These kits may be unreliable and there is a significant risk they could be providing the user with a false result.
"The instructions for use might also be incorrect or confusing and not adequate for someone trying to use the kit in their home."
She said people should check for the "CE mark", which shows the tests have been approved.
The Health Protection Agency has contacted those known to have ordered the kits.
Dr Fortune Ncube, from the HPA's blood borne viruses department, said: "If anybody feels they have put themselves at risk they should contact their local GP or go to their most convenient GUM clinic, where they can receive a full screen for all STIs, including HIV.
"Rapid and confidential tests, as well as sexual health advice, are available through the NHS without charge."


The Duchess of Cambridge has shown off her tennis skills during a practice session with Judy Murray.

Catherine -  also known as the Countess of Strathearn in Scotland - joined dozens of school pupils and teachers at a tennis workshop hosted by Ms Murray in Edinburgh.
Earlier she took part in a sing-along on a visit to an Edinburgh school.
The events were part of a tour by Catherine of school-based charities in the city.
The workshop was part of the Tennis on the Road project created in 2014 by Ms Murray, who is the mother of tennis stars Andy and Jamie.
During the duchess' visit, teachers and pupils were taught how to coach and pass on the basics of tennis to children.
Ms Murray said Catherine's participation in the class was "fantastic for tennis and women's sport".
She added: "She said she'd love to come back and do some more."
Earlier in the day, Catherine visited St Catherine's Primary where she joined an assembly.
The school is one of 28 in Scotland where counsellors from children's mental health charity Place2Be support pupils having difficulties in some of the most disadvantaged areas of Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Pupils presented her with a quaich, a Scottish toasting cup, after she sang along to the children's song Welcome Everybody.
The duchess, who is the charity's patron, told pupils: "I think everybody should start their morning like that. Have a wonderful day."
The duchess, who was carrying out her first solo set of official engagements north of the border, also travelled across the city to Wester Hailes Education Centre to see work being carried out by The Art Room.
The charity, of which she is patron, set up its first Scottish studio at the school in 2014 and works with children to increase their self-esteem, self-confidence and independence through art.
She was greeted by cheering pupils in the school playground before attending an art session.
Pupils involved in the project showed her the work they were producing.
Project director Juli Beattie said she was delighted to be able to show the duchess the charity's first Scottish base.
She added: "Our presence in Edinburgh represents a new phase in our growth.
"The needs of the local community are imperative and our work relies on our partner schools having the vision to host an art-room studio offering early intervention to the children and young people."


New Birmingham City boss Gianfranco Zola says he had to be "professional" about replacing Gary Rowett as manager.

Blues fans were shocked by the Chinese-owned club's decision to replace the immensely popular Rowett with the club eighth in the Championship table.
"The difficulty was that my predecessor was doing very well," Zola told BBC WM.
"Sometimes that makes it not easy for a new manager, but I'm professional, it was a good opportunity and I could not refuse it," added the Italian, 50.
Zola played against Birmingham twice during his illustrious career with Chelsea.
He scored in both matches in the 2002-03 season - a 3-0 win at Stamford Bridge and a 3-1 win at St Andrew's - as part of a Chelsea team that also contained future Birmingham players Mario Melchiot and Jesper Gronkjaer.
A return to the Premier League is the main target for the former West Ham and Watford boss.
"When I was first asked two days ago, I said it is fine for me," he said. "It is a good club with good players and I like these things. It is a chance to build something and get in the Premier League as quickly as possible.
"The fact that the previous manager had done very well will make it more of a challenge but it will also make me more focused to become more accepted."
Brighton manager Chris Hughton, who takes his second-placed Seagulls side to Birmingham on Saturday, led Blues to the Championship play-offs in his one season in charge in 2011-12.
"My reaction was like most people, who were quite shocked," Hughton told BBC Sussex. "Gary's done a wonderful job in the period of time that he's been there and made real progress.
"In this day and age in football, there aren't many surprises, but that was one of them.
"It's wonderful to see Gianfranco back in the English game. Nobody will begrudge somebody of his stamp coming back in, but it will more a case of feeling for Gary. It's always sad to see a very good manager lose his job.
"We can only prepare ourselves like for any other game. They have some very good players and are now on the back of a good win against Ipswich."
Former Blues defender Michael Johnson knows Zola well, having done his FA coaching badge on the same course.
"He's one of the most decorated footballers in English football, somebody I now consider a friend," Johnson told BBC WM.
"He's a great guy, very well mannered and very well spoken but, make no bones about it, if he does not get his way and the players do not adhere to what he wants, he'll come down heavily on them.
"It will be difficult to get people onside in the outset. But, in Gianfranco Zola, they've got someone who can do well for them."


Andy Murray will have British company in the men's top-100 rankings after Aljaz Bedene was granted a UK passport.

BBC Sport revealed in May how the 25-year-old Slovenian, a UK resident since 2008, wanted to switch allegiance.
He will be able to compete under the British flag on tour as soon as he has submitted his new passport details.
The world number 83 is now planning to appeal against a new rule which prevents players from ever representing more than one country in Davis Cup.
The International Tennis Federation introduced a rule change on 1 January which stops players from representing a second nation in the Davis Cup, Fed Cup or Olympics.
Bedene turned out for Slovenia in Davis Cup action in 2010, 2011 and 2012 but will appeal on the grounds his passport application was lodged before the rule change came into place.
Ajla Tomljanovic, who was born in Croatia but is now applying for an Australian passport, is in the same position and those close to Bedene are optimistic he will receive a sympathetic hearing.
A defeat in the final of the Chennai Open to Stan Wawrinka and victory in last week's highly competitive Challenger event in Texas have boosted his ranking from 145 at the start of the year.
He now plans to attend a citizenship ceremony near his home in Hertfordshire in the very near future. He will be required to take an 'Oath or Affirmation of Allegiance to Her Majesty the Queen,' and make a 'Pledge of Loyalty' to respect the rights, freedoms and laws of the UK, before receiving his certificate of nationality.
The Lawn Tennis Association provided Bedene with legal support during his passport application, but there is no guarantee his switch to British colours will be universally popular with other players.
Johanna Konta's switch from Australian to British nationality in 2012 did not ruffle many feathers, but Greg Rusedski's move from Canada in 1995 did cause controversy.
When the BBC revealed Bedene's intentions last year, the British Davis Cup player Dan Evans tweeted: "So a guy is becoming British who has already played for his country. Doesn't quite sound right to me!"
Bedene's arrival will evidently boost Britain's strength in depth. With James Ward on the cusp of the world's top 100, Kyle Edmund in the top 150 and Liam Broady not too far behind, Andy Murray may soon have more regular company in the men's draw of the Grand Slams.


A 65-year-old woman from Bangkok has killed herself by jumping into a pit of crocodiles at a reptile farm near the capital, police say.

Witnesses saw Wanpen Inyai jumping into a pond at Samut Prakarn Crocodile Farm and Zoo on Friday, reported The Bangkok Post. Staff failed to rescue her.
Police said they were told by family members that Ms Wanpen appeared depressed prior to her death.
Thai tourist attractions are said to often have lax safety rules.
Thai police confirmed Ms Wanpen's death on Tuesday afternoon.
According to reports, she took off her shoes before jumping into the middle of a pond said to be up to 3m deep that contained hundreds of adult crocodiles.
Staff tried to use long sticks to stop the crocodiles from attacking her, according to the Bangkok Post.
Earlier that day, Ms Wanpen's family had tried to file a missing persons report after they discovered her disappearance, but they were reportedly told to wait for 24 hours.
Her death mirrored that of a woman who killed herself in 2002 the same way at the same farm, and another suicide reportedly took place a decade before that.
Farm owner Uthen Youngprapakorn told a local radio station that the farm had already installed additional fences and other security measures along the walkways.
The farm claims on its website that it has more than 100,000 crocodiles.
Pictures of the farm show wooden pagodas on stilts, connected by walkways that have chest-high railings, situated over large ponds.


A record-breaking UK explorer who has already trekked to the North and South Poles is taking on a new challenge.

Nottinghamshire's Fiona Thornewill, 49, will join an American climber for the ascent of El Capitan mountain in Yosemite, California.
Her climbing partner American Hans Florine holds the record for the fastest ascent of the mountain.
The pair will make the climb on 8 September to raise money for the British Mountaineering Council.
Ms Thornewill set the record for the fastest ski trek to the North Pole by a woman in 2001 at 56 days and was the fastest woman to reach the South Pole solo in just under 42 days in 2004.
She was appointed an MBE in the 2006 and was given an European Women of Achievement Award in 2004.
The ascent of the steep mountain face, also called The Nose, is considered one of the most difficult rock climbs in the world as it rises almost a kilometre straight up from its base.
Ms Thornewill said she considers herself "an amateur climber" so has been training extremely hard to get ready for the attempt.
"I was looking for a physical and mental challenge since my South Pole solo - I wanted something that would really fire me up and challenge.
"I am very excited and nervous about taking it on."
If successful, she would be the oldest female ever to climb The Nose.
Mr Florine, who will be making his 100th ascent of the mountain, holds the world speed record for climbing The Nose at two hours and 23 minutes.


Sainsbury's has reported its "best ever" Christmas sales despite what it called the "challenging weather conditions".

Like-for-like sales excluding petrol, which strip out the effect of sales from new stores, rose by 3.6% in the 14 weeks to 8 January from a year earlier.
The UK's third-largest supermarket chain said non-food sales had grown particularly strongly.
The group said it had created nearly 6,000 new jobs over the period.
Earlier this week, it said it aimed to create 20,000 jobs over the next three years.
"Our strategy of providing universal customer appeal through great food at fair prices has helped Sainsbury's to deliver its best-ever Christmas," said the group's chief executive Justin King.
He added that Sainsbury's had increased its market share slightly to 16.6%.
Transactions made during the week of Christmas hit an "all-time high" of 24.5 million, the group said.
It also reported "record" online orders for groceries and said it had seen "strong growth" in sales of home and electrical wares.
Sales of lingerie and clothing accessories jumped by 45%, it added.
"Additional promotion of its higher margin products, along with the weather conditions tempting shoppers to buy more in fewer trips, played into the company's hands such that its performance could yet prove to be the best of the big four [supermarkets]," said Richard Hunter at broker Hargreaves Lansdown.
Research released earlier this week from data provider Kantar Worldpanel, formerly TNS Worldpanel, indicated  that Sainsbury's was the only one of the UK's big four supermarkets to increase its market share in the three months preceding Christmas.


The Royal Geographical Society is releasing the films of the scientific explorations it sponsored in the early 20th Century.

The priceless footage, some of which has not been seen for nearly 100 years, is being digitised and put online.
The films are also helping scientists today learn more about the impact of climate change.
BBC News has had exclusive access to the films.
Among them is the first aerial footage of the top of Mount Everest. It was shot in 1933 by Major Latham Valentine Stewart Blacker, a former fighter pilot and war hero. He was a real life Biggles!
Blacker and his friends risked their lives flying in specially built biplanes, higher than anyone had flown before, to capture historic footage. Alasdair MacLeod, who is in charge of the project for the RGS, says that the film is one of more than a hundred in the RGS's possession that will be put online this year.
"The society has a collection of over two million items. It's the world's largest collection of geographically related maps, photographs, artefacts, diaries, notebooks and publications. And this film collection, which has been housed at the British Film Institute's national archive for many years, has not been made more accessible."
But it has now. The most shocking is the earliest known footage of Tibet shot in 1922.
It was taken by an army officer, Captain John Noel, on the first ever attempt to reach the top of Mount Everest.
He filmed a scene at a monastery on the way to Everest where the climbers seek a blessing from the monks. They are treated as honoured guests and shown ritual dances, telling stories of reincarnation.
Around the dancers' waists are aprons made from a lattice of human bones; their face masks are made from stretched human skin.
Captain Noel's daughter Sandra told me that the attempt to climb Everest was like the Moon landings at that time.
"This was going to be a world event and it captured the imagination. People had just emerged from the war. They were impoverished and had very little to be excited about. And here was this expedition to Mount Everest."
Captain Noel's footage is of scientific as well as historical value. It will be used by researchers to compare with current images to help them assess the impact climate change has had on the Himalayas over the past 100 years.
In 1932, cinema audiences were amazed to see the exploits of another young army officer, Ralph Bagnold, journeying thousands of miles across the Libyan Desert in a car.
When one of the cars broke down it was cannibalised for spare parts and abandoned. And they are still out there somewhere buried among the dunes.
The vehicles would often get stuck in the sand - and each time Bagnold and his team would find ever more ingenious ways of extricating them.
It seems like an odd thing to do now, but Bagnold and his friends risked their lives on this expedition because they saw it as a great challenge - so says the adventurer's son, Stephen.
"The experts proclaimed it couldn't be done. To dad that was the greatest possible spur, not that he wanted to show that he was the master or anything like that, but just because it tickled his fancy and that maybe with clear planning and with the right equipment there could be a way of crossing the desert," Stephen told BBC News.
Bagnold took careful measurements during his expedition to understand how the sand is moved by the wind. He published several research papers on the subject.
His work would later help the American and European space agencies explore Mars. His insights are being used to design rovers that can cross Martian sand without getting stuck.
Thousands of miles away in Yemen a pilot, Aubery Rickards, filmed the Hadhramaut, a region that is home to an ancient civilization.
The film shows startling scenes of a dense collection of skyscrapers made from mud that were built in the 16th Century.
Some are 11 stories high. They are still inhabited to this day.
It was in this area that people first learned how to live in concentrated environments. It is sometimes referred to as "the Manhattan of the desert".
Perhaps the most inspirational films are those shot by two young explorers, George Sherriff and Frank Ludlow, in the 1930s during their journeys through Bhutan and Tibet.
The two friends thought they had discovered paradise among the Himalayan mountains. They filmed scenes of a simpler way of life, where people were happy, healthy and lived to a ripe old age.
The early colour films reinforce a sense they had found a brighter, more hopeful world - a contrast to the grim desolation of Europe after the First World War, according to Prof Mike Heffernan, of Nottingham University.
"When Sherriff and Ludlow began their exploration of this area in 1933, it is exactly the same year in which James Hilton publishes this famous book called The Lost Horizon, which introduces the idea of 'Shangri-La'; this perfect place. This was a mountain kingdom, a vestigial world of peace and harmony, precisely the world that had been so obviously left behind by the industrial warfare that they'd gone through."
You can watch Pallab's documentary "Great Explorations" on BBC World News (all times GMT) on Saturday at 01:30 and 08:30; on Sunday at 14:30 and 20:30; and on Monday at 02:30 (North & Latin America only).
The documentary will also be broadcast in the UK on the BBC News Channel (all times BST) on Saturday at 16.30, and again on Monday at 00:30, 14:30 and 20:30.
The Royal Geographical Society films featured can be viewed in full for free online via the BFI Player
Follow Pallab on Twitter.


The government's "shambolic" approach to Brexit is failing to equip the UK economy for leaving the EU, shadow chancellor John McDonnell will say.

Mr McDonnell will accuse Chancellor Philip Hammond of being isolated from cabinet colleagues and will say he is "too weak" to make Brexit a success.
He will call on Mr Hammond to abandon austerity in the Autumn Statement next week, and reverse planned benefit cuts.
But Treasury minister David Gauke said Labour had "zero" economic credibility.
In a speech in central London later, Mr McDonnell will accuse ministers of plotting a "closed-minded Brexit" that "works only for bankers and the rich, instead of one that's based on fairness and works for the rest of us".
Setting out Labour's position ahead of the Autumn Statement - to be made next Wednesday - he will say the government has "the wrong ambitions for the economy and the wrong ambitions for Brexit".
Their approach will "continue to undermine the ambitions of working people", he will say.
Mr McDonnell will say: "We need a credible fiscal framework that supports Brexit; we need actual support for those in work on low and middle incomes; and we need secure and properly funded public services.
"We want to see an end to austerity, with the NHS and social care properly funded and ESA (employment and support allowance) and Universal Credit cuts reversed.
"We want to see an end to tax giveaways for the wealthy. And we need a serious commitment from government to invest across the whole of our country."
Tom Bateman, BBC political correspondent
Since the EU referendum, the Treasury has steered away from the tougher deficit reduction rules imposed by former Chancellor George Osborne.
It has chosen instead to speak of a "pragmatic" approach to balancing the books, given what Philip Hammond described as the "turbulence" that Brexit may bring.
But his Labour opponent will today condemn this approach as weak, arguing the government must go further and end austerity rather than postpone it.
Mr McDonnell is also likely to call for a focus on borrowing to create jobs and infrastructure - a policy he has previously said would go alongside a rule to balance day-to-day taxation and spending.
Labour knows its task is to present itself to voters as credible on the economy, as the battle lines are set out before the first major economic announcement of Theresa May's government next week.
Mr McDonnell will accuse Mr Hammond of lacking influence over the process of withdrawing from the EU, saying: "The CEO of Nissan probably knows more about our Brexit negotiating position than the chancellor."
"Britain cannot afford a weak chancellor who cannot find his voice, when our country faces the biggest economic challenges for a generation. It's time he steps up to the task and stands up to his cabinet colleagues."
However, Chief Secretary to the Treasury David Gauke said Labour had "zero credibility when it comes to the economy".
"They drove Britain to the brink of bankruptcy last time, opposed everything we did to clear up the mess - and now all they offer is a recipe for economic ruin.
"Ordinary working people would pay the price for Jeremy Corbyn's fantasy economics."
It comes as the Institute of Directors (IoD) called on Mr Hammond to "act decisively" and use the Autumn Statement to introduce tax breaks to boost investment.
It released survey figures indicating business confidence had declined in recent weeks, with 50% of the 1,071 respondents asked between 12 and 27 October saying they were pessimistic about the economy over the next 12 months.
Some 30% said they were optimistic.
IoD director general Simon Walker said: "This is a moment for the government to act decisively to make it easier for firms to expand and find more opportunities.
"We know that there isn't a limitless source of funds, so we urge the chancellor to make tax changes that incentivise investment, alongside targeted infrastructure investment."


Northern Ireland is to become the first part of the UK to make paying for sex a criminal offence.

The Northern Ireland Assembly has passed the Human Trafficking and Exploitation Bill, which includes a clause criminalising payment for sex.
The private member's bill was brought before the house by the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) peer Lord Morrow and passed its final stage on Tuesday.
The bill will be submitted to the Queen for Royal Assent, before becoming law.
Lord Morrow told the assembly his Christian faith underpinned his decision to bring forward the wide-ranging legislation.
He described human trafficking as "a heinous crime" that had to be tackled in Northern Ireland.
The peer acknowledged that clause 15 of the new legislation, which criminalises those who pay for sexual services, was "clearly the most divisive aspect of my bill".
At present, prostitution legislation criminalises aspects of selling sex, for example running a brothel.
Justice Minister David Ford, who described the bill as "ground-breaking", said he still had misgivings about the prostitution clause.
Mr Ford said it had "diverted the focus away from some of the other important measures and into the moral issues surrounding the purchase of sex".
Opponents of the clause have argued that it would be difficult to enforce and claimed a ban no paying for sex would push vulnerable sex workers further underground.
Green Party MLA Steven Agnew said he remained concerned that the clause involving prostitution could be "counterproductive in relation to the aims of the bill".
Lord Morrow's bill could lead the way in efforts by campaigners to outlaw the purchase of sex across the island of Ireland.
Last month, the Irish government announced that it also plans to criminalise the payment of prostitutes in the Republic of Ireland.
Irish Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald published a draft bill that proposed wide-ranging reforms to sexual offences legislation, including a new measure making it a crime to pay for sex.


Two men have admitted a machete attack on a shopkeeper during an attempted robbery in Edinburgh.

Liam McMeechan and David Allan assaulted Tahir Ahmed at his A&A newsagents in South Trinity Road on 12 August 2016 and tried to steal cash.
McMeechan, 23, pleaded guilty to assault to severe injury, permanent disfigurement and attempted robbery.
Allan, 50, pleaded guilty to assault and attempted robbery at the High Court in Edinburgh.
The court heard Mr Ahmed, 54, fought off machete-wielding McMeechan before the pair fled.
The shopkeeper was treated in hospital for a fractured skull and various lacerations to his head.
Mr Ahmed had 14 staples put into wounds to his forehead and temple and was kept in hospital for 48 hours.
He was left with permanent scarring following the attack.
Police who arrived at the shop found items on the floor along with spatters of blood. The abandoned weapon was also recovered along with a scarf.
The scarf was found to have DNA from the mother of McMeechan, who was the former partner of Allan.
Mr McGuire said CCTV footage placed the two accused together in Edinburgh that day and analysis of McMeechan's phone showed it had been in the vicinity of the crime scene at the time of the offence.
Lord Boyd of Duncansby called for background reports ahead of sentencing next month and remanded the men in custody.


A house which is said to have inspired Peter Pan author JM Barrie is among several historic sites across Scotland to share £1.7m of restoration funding.

Moat Brae House in Dumfries will receive more than £300,000 to help turn it into a tourist attraction and education and storytelling centre.
Barrie played in the garden of the house when he was a child.
Historic Scotland's Building Repair Grants Scheme will also fund repairs at medieval Dean Castle in Kilmarnock.
There are also awards for Cambo Stables in Fife and Brough Lodge in Shetland.
The funding was announced by Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop.
She said: "Our diverse built heritage plays an important role in towns and cities across Scotland and forms a key part of our cultural identity.
"The recipients of this award showcase the scope and scale of these buildings and investing in their repair will ensure they can open their doors to the public for years to come."
Dean Castle will receive £500,000 to carry out urgent repairs, including making the castle watertight and repairing fallen masonry.
The Battery on Lamer Island, Dunbar, has been awarded £56,344 towards improving public access.
Brough Lodge on Shetland will receive more than £460,000 to complete all repairs and begin welcoming tourists to the island of Fetlar, which has a population of 61.
An award of £280,000 will go towards restoring a 19th Century stable block at Cambo Stables near St Andrews, and provide visitor and educational facilities.
The derelict Kirkhaven Hall, a category A listed former church hall in Glasgow's Calton district, has been awarded more than £112,000 to create office and training space for groups in the architecture sector.


The head of the Scottish Episcopal Church has announced he will step down.

Primus, the Most Rev David Chillingworth, is to retire in July after nine years at the helm.
His departure will take place one month after the Church Synod - its ruling body - holds a vote on whether to allow same-sex marriage within the Church.
Bishop Chillingworth, who supports the concept of gay marriage, denied that he was leaving a "poisoned chalice" for his successor.
If the Scottish Episcopal Church votes in favour of same-sex marriage, the move would leave the Scottish church at odds with the Church of England and most of the 85 million strong Anglican Communion.
US Episcopalians have already been ostracised over their support for gay marriage.
Bishop Chillingworth, who is also Bishop of St Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane, told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme that clergy in his church who were opposed to same-sex marriage would be able to opt out under a conscience clause.
He said: "Nobody should take for granted what the outcome of that vote will be."
However, the 66-year-old, who has served with the ministry for 41 years, said Scotland has moved on as a society and it was time for the Church to do the same.
When asked if his the vacancy left by his retirement was a poisoned chalice, the Primus said: "I have felt that it was proper to remain in office until we reached the point where that decision was made.
"Getting to that point has involved a lengthy process of conversation and exploration and expression of views and people sharing with one and other right across the life of the church, and I have been with others providing the leadership to make that happen.
"If we can come to a decision in the summer, which makes clear where we are, but also makes clear that in our diversity we remain a unified community of faith, I shall go into retirement content leaving the next generation of leadership to work out what that means in practice."


A TV advert for Sky broadband featuring Die Hard star Bruce Willis has been banned for being misleading.

The ad showed Willis complaining about the speed of his current provider, with a character telling him to "try Sky Broadband, it's totally unlimited".
A voice-over then said the service was £7.50 a month, however on-screen text stated the deal was only for existing Sky TV customers.
The Advertising Standards Authority said the ad was not sufficiently clear.
Earlier in the advert, on-screen text stated consumers needed to purchase Sky Talk, calls and line rental - costing £14.50 a month - to obtain Sky's broadband service, while Sky TV prices started at £21.50 per month.
One viewer complained to the advertising watchdog, saying the commercial did not make clear the extent of the commitment customers had to make in order to receive the service advertised for £7.50.
Sky said it believed it had made its pricing clear and the average consumer would understand from the on-screen small print it was necessary to commit to its line rental and be a Sky customer.
However, it admitted it was not a requirement to be a Sky TV customer to receive the broadband package, which non-subscribers could obtain for £10 a month.
The ASA said as the advert was "clearly not directed at existing Sky customers", line rental and Sky TV would have been relevant charges to those interested in subscribing to the broadband service and it was therefore important for the information to have been stated prominently.
It said the small print at the bottom of the screen "would by its nature be significantly less prominent than a claim made in a voice-over, and was therefore not an appropriate method of communicating material information relating to the £7.50 price claim".
The watchdog added the cost associated with the TV element of the package was presented even less clearly, having disappeared from the screen 15 seconds before the voice-over.
The ASA ruled the advert must not appear in its current form again.


Cardinal Desmond Connell, the retired Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, has died aged 90.

He was Archbishop of Dublin from 1988 until 2004, and Cardinal since 2001.
Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin said Cardinal Connell had passed away peacefully in his sleep.
In 2009, the Murphy Report into child sexual abuse in the Dublin archdiocese found that his strategy in refusing to admit liability added to the hurt and grief of many victims of abuse.
The report said the commission had no doubt that clerical child abuse was covered up by the Dublin Archdiocese and other Church authorities.
Just before his retirement in 2004, Cardinal Connell asked for forgiveness from all those he had offended.


Family members of three assembly candidates were initially stopped from entering count centres.

At the South Down count the husband of SDLP candidate Sinead Bradley and Jim Wells' wife were not allowed in at Lisburn.
Meanwhile the parents of the DUP's Upper Bann candidate Carla Lockhart were denied entry in Banbridge.
The electoral office later granted entry to the count centre for both spouses.
Mrs Bradley topped the poll in South Down with 5,059 first preference votes.
Her husband suffers from multiple sclerosis and was not listed as her guest because the couple did not know if he would be well enough to attend.
"Each candidate is allowed their election agent plus one guest," she said.
"My husband couldn't make judgment on whether he would be having a good MS day.
"Thankfully he was well enough to come, but there has been no flexibility in allowing him in."
Jim Wells, of the DUP, who was elected in South Down said that a formal complaint is being lodged with electoral office over the exclusion of his wife, Grace, from the same count centre.
"Sinead has topped the poll in her first count, she wanted her husband to be beside her," he said.
"I was the first to get elected and my wife has been denied and this is a disgrace."
A spokesperson for the electoral office said: "Access to the election counts are strictly governed by electoral law."
"Everyone attending must be registered in advance and it is very unfortunate that Mrs Wells was not included on the list submitted to the electoral office.
"The electoral office must treat all candidates equally."


The farm of former white minority leader Ian Smith has been seized by Zimbabwe's government.

Mr Smith led Rhodesia, as Zimbabwe was known, when its forces battled Robert Mugabe's guerrillas in the 1970s.
Most white-owned land has been confiscated for redistribution to black farmers since 2000. Mr Smith's farm, known as Gwenoro, had been left alone.
The seizure came as Mr Mugabe addressed thousands of his supporters, ahead of elections expected in 2013.
Zimbabwe's land-reform programme has been widely blamed for its economic collapse in recent years.
BBC Africa correspondent Andrew Harding says Gwenoro was perhaps the most symbolic of all Zimbabwe's white-owned farms.
It was where Mr Smith bred cattle and lived for most of his adult life, even after he lost power in 1979.
His ashes were scattered there after he died in 2007.
The farm has been handed over to a local technical college - a move some are linking to next year's election.
Mr Mugabe, 88, is running for another term.
Our correspondent says land ownership remains a highly politicised, emotive issue, and seizing Mr Smith's farm may be seen as a vote-winner.
The AFP news agency also reports that Mr Mugabe on Friday told delegates to his party conference that he wanted to seize full control of foreign-owned companies.
His government has already passed an indigenisation law, which forced companies to cede 51% of shares to Zimbabweans.
"I think now we have done enough of 51%. Let it be 100%," he told thousands of Zanu-PF delegates.
The indigenisation policy is opposed by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, who will once more run against Mr Mugabe in the election.
The pair agreed to share power after disputes over the last election caused the economy to go into freefall.


Premier League matches could have video technology within five years, according to officials at the Dutch FA, despite a 12-month delay with their trials.

The International Football Association Board pushed back trials in competitive matches by a year in February.
Gijs de Jong, operations director at the Dutch FA (KNVB), told BBC World Service that the technology will be used in the not-too-distant future.
"I think it won't take more than five years, that's what I expect," he said.
"It is frustrating because we said to them, will it be used in 20 years? Everyone says yes. Will it be used in 10 years? Everyone says yes.
"Then when you say will it be used in one year they say, no we don't think so."
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Referees in the English top-flight have come under intense scrutiny recently with a number of high-profile errors made by officials in matches this season.
Gareth McAuley's red card against Manchester City was transferred to team-mate Craig Dawson after referee Neil Swarbrick admitted he sent off the wrong man for bringing down Wilfried Bony in the second minute of Albion's 3-0 defeat on 21 March.
After the game, West Brom manager Tony Pulis said: "If we can help referees with a 30-second call-back option, twice a game, it would stop us talking about them."
Sunderland's Wes Brown was sent off for a foul on Manchester United's Radamel Falcao in the Wearsiders' 2-0 defeat at Old Trafford on 28 February. TV replays appeared to show Brown's team-mate John O'Shea dragged back the Colombian.
Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson called for the introduction of technology following his side's 2-2 draw with Liverpool on New Year's Day when Wes Morgan was shown a yellow card for handling Raheem Sterling's cut-back, but replays showed the ball struck the Leicester defender in the face.
De Jong believes every mistake by referees strengthens the case for video technology and can help bring forward its introduction.
He added: "When we get some good examples like we've had in the Premier League and Champions League, then hopefully it'll speed up and we do reach the five year period."


The estranged wife of world-renowned concert pianist Vadym Kholodenko has been charged with killing their two daughters in Texas, US officials say.

Authorities suspect Sofya Tsygankova last week killed one-year-old Michela and Nika, five, and stabbed herself at the family home near Fort Worth.
Ms Tsygankova, who is originally from Russia, now faces a mental evaluation. The charge can bring the death penalty.
Mr Kholodenko, a Ukrainian musician, is not a suspect, the officials say.
Last Thursday, Mr Kholodenko, 29, called emergency services after finding his 31-year-old estranged wife in an "extreme state of distress", as well as the bodies of his two children.
The children were found in their beds in Benbrook with no visible signs of trauma. A post-mortem examination will determine the cause of death.
Ms Tsygankova, who also performed as a concert pianist, is currently being treated at local hospital.
On Monday, Benbrook police Commander David Babcock said: "We have probable cause, reason to believe that she committed the homicides."
He added that police had collected physical evidence at the scene.
Mr Kholodenko won the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth in 2013 and has performed with a number of major orchestras.
He married Ms Tsygankova in 2010. They moved to Fort Worth from Moscow in 2014.
The couple divorced in November, according to court records.
The children lived with their mother, but Mr Kholodenko would routinely pick up the girls from the home in the mornings, police said.


Police across England have been called to dozens of incidents in which pranksters dress as "creepy clowns" to deliberately scare people.

The culprits are said to be following a trend that started in the US.
A 30-year-old man was arrested and cautioned in Norwich after someone dressed as a clown jumped out from behind a tree and "terrified" a woman in a public park.
On Sunday Thames Valley Police said it was called to 14 incidents in 24 hours.
In the Norwich case, the woman was walking alone in Eaton Park at about 20:30 BST on Sunday when the man leapt out, screamed at her and ran after her.
Supt Lynne Cross, of Norfolk Police, said such incidents "may seem harmless, but it is quite frightening to those who experience it".
In County Durham on Friday, four children were followed to school by a man in a clown outfit who was armed with what turned out to be a plastic machete.
In a separate clowning caper in County Durham on Friday, police in Peterlee posted a photo on their Facebook page of items including two masks confiscated from two 12-year-olds who officers said had gone to a primary school to scare children.
Elsewhere, a 13-year-old boy is currently on police bail after being arrested on suspicion of common assault in West Bromwich on Saturday.
It is alleged they boy, wearing a clown mask, approached a 14-year-old on New Swan Lane at about 16:45 and grabbed his arm.
Professor Mark Griffiths, a chartered psychologist at Nottingham Trent University, says clowns tend to be scary because of their exaggerated looks and evil representation in films.
"The vast majority of people are not scared of clowns day-to-day but a clown's face has become part of a scare culture.
"There is a stereotype of the nasty, evil, eerie clown. If you look at clowns facially what you tend to find is part of their face or feet are exaggerated, they have huge noses, scary mouths and wildfire hair.
"We also have a cinematic trope. If you look at everything from Heath Ledger in Batman to Stephen King's It, we've got these characters with clown faces that are either killing people or doing really nasty things. Even if you have not come into contact with clowns, you're influenced by what you see in television and films."
Meanwhile, in Kidlington, Oxfordshire, a man dressed as a clown and carrying a baseball bat was reported to have chased a 10-year-old child through a park.
Gloucestershire Police said it had received six reports of "clowns" behaving suspiciously or carrying knives. In one instance a child was followed.
A cyclist in Eastbourne, Sussex, was left "shaken" after someone dressed as a clown jumped out from a bush brandishing what he believed was an offensive weapon.
And in Sudbury, Suffolk, a boy was chased by "several people dressed as clowns".
People who have been approached by the clowns have taken to social media to warn others.
A contributor to the Spotted: Loughborough Facebook page said: "I was walking through Shelthorpe cemetery via the footpath next to the school. I was approached by what can only be described as a clown with an axe. I have never been so terrified in my life."
Thames Valley Police said clowns were "tying up resources which could impact on calls to other incidents".
Ch Supt Andy Boyd said: "While we do not want to be accused of stopping people enjoying themselves, we would also ask those same people to think of the impact of their behaviour on others and themselves.
"Their actions can cause fear and anxiety to other people. This could be perceived to be intimidating and threatening which could lead to public order offences, arrest and a criminal record."
The clown craze began in the US in late summer and has since spread to Canada and Australia.
Schools in Texas and Alabama were shut down, while the White House press secretary had to field questions about the president's stance on the phenomenon.
Inspector Simon Starns, of Sussex Police, said: "We will respond if someone feels threatened and the culprit could end up being arrested and then they won't find it so funny."


Giant snowballs have appeared on a beach in Siberia, amazing local people there.

7 November 2016 Last updated at 09:30 GMT
The balls are formed naturally and happen when pieces of ice get rolled by wind and water.
They stretch on the Siberian coast for 11 miles, near to the Arctic Circle.


Pressure is mounting on the US Federal Communications Commission to delay or abandon plans to change the rules that govern how internet traffic is treated.

More than 50 venture capitalists have sent a letter expressing concerns about proposals to allow internet service providers (ISPs) to charge for prioritised network access.
It comes a day after 100 technology companies signed a similar letter.
Two FCC commissioners are now calling for the 15 May vote to be delayed.
The row centres around the issue of net neutrality - a central tenet of the internet that holds all online traffic should be treated equally.
Recently it emerged the FCC was considering letting ISPs charge fees to content providers for prioritised access to their networks as long as they acted "in a commercially reasonable manner".
"If established companies are able to pay for better access speeds or lower latency, the internet will no longer be a level playing field," the letter from venture capitalists reads.
Signatories included high-profile investors such as Ron Conway, of SV Angel, Chris Dixon, of Andressen Horowitz, and John Lilly, of Greylock Partners.
Meanwhile FCC commissioner Ajit Pai has joined fellow commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel in calling for a delay to the vote.
The debate has taken on new urgency in recent months as ISPs grow increasingly impatient with the glut of bandwidth-heavy services such as video-on-demand.
They want to charge companies such as Netflix, Amazon and Disney a fee to ensure their traffic is carried at high speed on their networks.
In February, Verizon won a landmark case that challenged the FCC's right to stop it charging such fees.
At the time, civil liberty groups said the FCC would have more teeth to enforce net-neutrality rules if it reclassified ISPs as telecommunication services, which are more highly regulated.
A separate letter from more than 100 civil liberty groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, has also been sent to both the FCC and US President Barack Obama.
It read: "Internet service providers should not be in the business of picking winners and losers online.
"But the proposal the FCC is currently considering gives ISPs the power to do exactly that, which is why it must be abandoned."
Protesters are currently camping outside FCC headquarters in Washington ahead of a rally expected on 15th May.


If you enjoy the great outdoors, there is no better way of experiencing the countryside than at your own pace through hiking or rambling.

Being at the mercy of the elements can be both exhilarating and medicinal as you feel the stress of the week melt away, but it can also be risky if you don't have the right equipment.
Take the worry out of walking by reading through our checklist of hiking advice.
To find out out more about the benefits of walking, and to find other styles to suit you, see the Get Inspired guide to walking. To get ready for your outdoor adventure, read on.
Useful links
Remember the mantra - Layer, layer, layer.
A thin layer of wool or man-made fibre next to the skin to 'wick' moisture away from your skin. On top of this a mid-weight or heavier layer for insulation. Wind protection should be a lightweight wind-shell. Always carry a good breathable waterproof jacket with hood and trousers.  And don't forget a hat - even in the summer!  Gloves - depends on the season, but keep them handy just in case.
Never buy new boots just before you start!
You need lightweight boots, trail walking shoes or fell running/walking shoes for the easy bits and slightly heavier, more supportive waterproof boots for the wet days.
If you can't use two sets of boots then go for the mid-weight boots and make sure you dry them thoroughly each night. Oh, and change your socks regularly - always keep a spare pair in your backpack.
It's essential to have good map-reading skills and to be able to navigate accurately with a compass.
If it's been a while since you did this then get out and practise. Handheld GPS devies are much cheaper now and are easy to use - but you do have to learn how to use them and also to practise. To use a GPS safely you need to apply normal hill navigation skills to the GPS or you could end up trying to walk directly up a cliff, over a cliff or across a river.
Smart phones work well in some areas and you can use the GPS apps with no problem - but remember there could be big sections of the walk with no signal so don't rely on your mobile or map apps.
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Carry a first aid kit and know how to use it. There is no point in taking a huge one. A few sensible essentials are:
It's a good idea to let someone know that you have gone on your hike, and tell them where you started the walk and where you intend to walk to.
Mobile phones work well for sections of the walk, but there are long areas without any signal. So do carry a phone but don't rely on it too much. A battery pack charger or a second phone saves you being out of battery when you really need to make a call.
Don't carry too much. Remember that weight is not your friend!
Always carry a compass, map, headlamp and multi-purpose knife, but leave anything heavy at home. And don't forget to bring some water to keep you hydrated and some snacks for energy.
If you are going on a long hike that could take more than a day, it might be a good idea to use a baggage carry services. Walking trails like the Pennine Way are used to ramblers and this kind of service is widely used. When you leave the B&B your overnight bags are delivered to your next stop which means that you walk each day just with a small pack.
Are you inspired to try walking? Or maybe you are a keen enthusiast already?
Get in touch and tell us your experience of the activity by tweeting us on @bbcgetinspired, visiting us on Facebook or email us on getinspired@bbc.co.uk.
See our full list of activity guides for more inspiration.


Wing DTH van der Merwe will leave Scarlets for an as-yet-unnamed team at the end of the 2016-17 season.

The 30-year-old South Africa-born Canada international joined the west Wales region ahead of 2015-16.
Scarlets boss Wayne Pivac confirmed the player will depart when his contract expires in the summer.
Fly-half Rhys Patchell will miss the Pro12 match against Ulster on Friday with an ankle problem, while Scott Williams and Samson Lee are doubtful.
Pivac says Wales centre Williams is "beaten up" after their bruising festive derbies against Ospreys and Cardiff Blues and could be rested.
Wing Johnny McNicholl is also a doubt.
Van der Merwe has been linked with a move to Aviva Premiership club Newcastle.
"He is joining the fire service going forward and has three years left in rugby before he has to make that call because you have to be a certain age (to do so)," said Pivac.
"He is looking at a three-year contract and the money in England is a lot more than here so he is doing what is right for his family and we support that.
"We have got some good young players coming through the system that we are going to put a lot of time and effort into over the next 12 months.
"It is one of those where you have to weigh-up the financial side of things and where the player is at.
"DTH and I have had a long chat and we are on the same page and that's the right thing to do.
"Don't get me wrong, we put an offer to keep DTH, but the money in England is a lot more so when you look over that over three years, it's a no-brainer.
"We have made the decision to back the youngsters."
Patchell could face a long lay off if the injury suffered against Cardiff Blues on New Year's Day is serious.
"Rhys is seeing a surgeon tomorrow to see if he needs surgery," said Pivac.
"It is a high ankle sprain so there will be some weeks involved, it's just the number. We will know tomorrow.
"If surgery is required, it will be 12 weeks. Fingers crossed it's the lower end and not the higher end."


The Wannacry worm that infected organisations in 150 countries in May has been blamed on North Korea by the US's National Security Agency (NSA).

The Washington Post said there was "moderate confidence" in the report's findings, while the spy agency said the worm was meant to boost regime coffers.
Security company Symantec also believes a hacking group linked to North Korea was behind the attack.
But North Korea's involvement has been disputed by other security firms.
Wannacry victims included more than 60 NHS trusts in the UK as well as Fedex, Renault and Telefonica.
Those hit by the worm were asked to pay a ransom to have their data restored.
The newspaper said the NSA report claims that the worm was created by a hacker group "sponsored" by North Korea's spy agency - the Reconnaissance General Bureau.
The assessment chimes with conclusions drawn by Symantec which said it was put together by the Lazarus hacker group working on behalf of the regime.
The Washington Post said the evidence gathered in the report was "not conclusive" but strongly suggested North Korea's involvement.
However, in late May, intelligence company Flashpoint said its analysis suggested hackers fluent in Chinese were responsible.
In addition, James Scott, a senior fellow at the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology, has thrown doubt on links between Lazarus and Pyongyang.
Attempts to tie the two together were "premature and inconclusive", he wrote.
As a money-making scheme the outbreak failed as, so far, none of the $140,000 (Â£110,000) in bitcoins raised in ransom payments by victims has been withdrawn.
Security experts believed this is because the transactions will be easy to track, putting law enforcement on the trail of the worm's creators.
If North Korea was involved in the Wannacry outbreak and other hacking attempts, then it could be the signal that the nation is gearing up for more attacks, John Hultquist, a computer security researcher at FireEye told Reuters.
"It suggests they are preparing for something fairly significant," he added.


Luke Charteris will be available for Wales' first Test with the All Blacks on 11 June after he was released by his club to travel to New Zealand.

Coach Warren Gatland had been unsure when French Top 14 club Racing 92 would let second row Charteris go.
Players need to be in New Zealand by Monday to play in the first Test.
Charteris and Clermont Auvergne centre Jonathan Davies both missed Sunday's 27-13 defeat by England because they were on club duty.
Gatland has said players must "be in New Zealand ready to train on the Monday [6 June] before the All Blacks game under World Rugby regulations".
Fourth-placed Racing are battling for a home draw in the French domestic league play-offs.
They play second-placed Montpellier on Sunday, 5 June in the final game of the regular season.
Charteris will miss that game and the play-offs that follow, ending his playing days in Paris as he heads for Bath next season.
Davies' Clermont host La Rochelle on Sunday with the 2013 British and Irish Lion's stint there soon to end as he returns to Scarlets.


There will be British interest in both men's doubles semi-finals at the US Open after Dom Inglot and his Swedish partner Robert Lindstedt went through.

Briton Jamie Murray, 29, and Australian John Peers have already reached the final four at Flushing Meadows.
And they will be joined by Inglot, 29, and Lindstedt after they overcame sixth seeds Rohan Bopanna of India and Romania's Florin Mergea 7-6 (7-2) 6-3.
The pair will meet French duo Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut.
Inglot, who partnered with Mergea until the Briton was dropped in March, will compete in his first Grand Slam semi-final against the 12th seeds.
Eighth seeds Murray and Peers will face Steve Johnson and Sam Querrey after the unseeded American team beat Argentina's Leonardo Mayer and Joao Sousa of Portugal 6-3 6-4.


The US Federal Reserve has kept interest rates between 0.25% and 0.5%, the rate its held since December.

The Fed said while conditions have improved, the central bank is still waiting for inflation to reach 2%.
In its statement the Fed said it would "carefully monitor actual and expected progress toward its inflation goal" as it weighed when next to raise rates.
Most investors expected rates to remain on hold, and were looking for changes to the Fed's assessment of the economy.
In its statement accompanying today's decision, the Fed's Open Market Committee pointed to strengthening in the labour market and improved household spending, as positive signs.
"Labour market conditions have improved further even as growth in economic activity appears to have slowed," the Fed said.
The unemployment rate fell below 5% in January.
The central bank appeared to be less focused on global financial risks to the US economy.
A slowing economy in China and falling oil prices have weighed on the Fed's past decisions, but appeared to be less important this time around.
Its latest update omitted the line "global economic and financial developments continue to pose risks," which was included in its March statement.
"The omission of the warning about global risks leaves the door open to a June rate hike, but whether the Fed follows through will depend on what happens in financial markets over the next six weeks," said Paul Ashworth from Capital Economics.
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In its statement the Fed said low oil prices and poor exports early in the year had contributed to weak inflation.
Additionally, while the housing sector has continued to strengthen, the Fed said business investment and exports remained "soft".
Chair of the Federal Reserve Janet Yellen has continually called for a gradual adjustment to rates.
But she has always maintained that the Fed should consider new information as it becomes available, and stressed that the Fed could raise rates at any of its future meetings.
Most economists only expect two rate increases in 2016. The bank's next chance to raise rates will be when it meets in June.
Esther George, president of the Kansas City Fed, voted against the decision to keep rates on hold.
Ms George said in February that interest rates should rise because the US economy was in a "generally good position" despite volatile movements on the stock markets.


A 23-year-old Mexican man who was brought to the US illegally at the age of seven has been arrested and detained, despite having a valid work permit.

Daniel Ramirez Medina was protected from deportation under one of President Barack Obama's policies.
He has a job, a young son and no criminal record.
Mr Ramirez was taken into custody on Friday and is being held in Tacoma, Washington.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents had intended to arrest his father at home in Seattle, but also detained Mr Ramirez.
In a statement, an ICE spokeswoman said the 23-year-old had told agents he was a gang member, and was taken into custody for being a "risk to public safety".
Mark Rosenbaum, one of Mr Ramirez's lawyers, said he "unequivocally denies being in a gang".
He said Mr Ramirez had been "repeatedly pressured" by customs agents to falsely admit to gang links while in custody.
Mr Ramirez's legal team say this could be the first time under the Trump administration that a person covered by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, has been taken into immigration custody.
DACA was established in 2012 by President Obama to allow those brought to America while young to attend school and work without fear of deportation.
There are more than 740,000 people in the programme.
They are often known as "dreamers" - a name taken from the failed 2010 DREAM Act (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors) - a bill which aimed to help young illegal immigrants become US citizens.
The arrest is being seen as significant given Mr Trump's long-standing promise of an immigration clampdown.
In January, he issued an executive order expanding the remit of Homeland Security officials so they can target not only immigrants with serious criminal records, but also those with minor offences or no convictions to their names.
Hundreds of undocumented migrants have been arrested in recent days, in at least 11 states.
"The crackdown on illegal criminals is merely the keeping of my campaign promise," the president wrote on Twitter. "Gang members, drug dealers & others are being removed!"
Mr Trump said he would scrap DACA during his election campaign, but his policy on those it already covers is not yet clear.
In an interview with ABC News last month, President Trump said they "are here illegally" but "shouldn't be very worried".
"I do have a big heart," he said. "We're going to take care of everybody."
Mr Ramirez has filed a lawsuit challenging his detention, which states: "The agents who arrested and questioned Mr Ramirez were aware that he was a DACA recipient, yet they informed him that he would be arrested, detained and deported anyway, because he was not 'born in this country,'".
A hearing in the case is due on 17 February.
Democrats have raised concerns over Mr Ramirez's situation, and called for his release.
New York Senator Chuck Schumer tweeted: "DACA recipients should not be an ICE priority. They are young people working & contributing to this great country."
"ICE must provide answers & release Daniel immediately. This action does nothing to make our country safe."


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A five-year-old French boy who saved his father's life by cycling to get help after he had a heart attack has been praised for his courage by the farmer who came to his aid.

Jean Francois Pinot told the BBC he saw the child in his pyjamas riding his cycle late at night on a rural road.
He said that French law required him to intervene under such circumstances.
The child told him that he had cycled 3km (1.8 miles) on his way to his mother's workplace to get her help.
The incident happened in Saint-Pierre-la-Cour, east of Brittany.
"It was raining and windy, very bad weather," Mr Pinot said.
"I wondered what a little boy was doing outside on a bike at that time, that's why I stopped to ask him and to help him.
"He told me he was going to find his mother who was at work because his father was dead. So I immediately took charge of him. I flashed my lights at another driver who also stopped and who helped me with the boy."
Police and the emergency services were able to find out where Kevin Djene's father lived from information the child provided.
They discovered that the father was not dead and were able to save his life. He is now recovering in hospital.
Mr Pinot said the child "did not have the reflex to use the phone or do anything else".
"His only reflex was get on his bike and go and get his mum at work. His mum works at night.
"He is a very brave and clear-thinking child," he said.


Taiwanese prosecutors have charged former president Ma Ying-jeou with leaking secret information obtained from wiretapping a political opponent.

Mr Ma has insisted he did not break any laws as he was merely fulfilling his duty as head of state.
If found guilty, he may be jailed for up to three years for each charge.
The criminal charges are in addition to a separate legal case relating to the same matter in 2013.
Mr Ma's eight-year presidency ended in 2016, when his Kuomintang party lost to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in last year's general election.
Prosecutors say that Mr Ma ordered that the contents of secretly-recorded phone calls between DPP lawmaker Ker Chien-ming and the parliamentary Speaker be given to other officials.
They said that by giving this order, Mr Ma broke laws on the protection of personal information, release of secrets, and communications security and surveillance.
Mr Ma has argued that he was merely carrying out his responsibilities as president, as the content of those phone calls related to alleged influence-peddling by Mr Ker and the Speaker.
Mr Ma has already appeared in court several times in recent months for a separate lawsuit brought by Mr Ker over the same matter. That case's verdict is set to be announced later this month
His supporters say he is a victim of political score-settling.


The king of the Pacific island nation of Tonga, Tupou VI, has been formally crowned, more than three years after ascending to the throne.

Foreign royals, including the Crown Prince of Japan, attended the coronation ceremony in the capital, Nuku'alofa.
A retired Australian minister performed the crowning as it is taboo for Tongans to touch their king's head.
Former King George Tupou V died in March 2012.
The coronation was the culmination of a week of festivities that included a traditional drinking rite, street parties and feasts.
The ceremony, performed by 78-year-old retired Methodist minister D'Arcy Wood, drew thousands of Tongans and tourists.
As well as Crown Prince Naruhito, the European royals Prince Georg von Habsburg of Hungary and Princess Marie-Therese von Hohenberg of Austria attended.
Tupou VI, 55, ascended to the throne after his bachelor brother died.
Tonga gained its independence from Britain in 1970 but the monarchy stretches back 1,000 years.


The romanticised view of US presidential elections is that they present quadrennial opportunities for national renewal; that they are expressions of hope and optimism that reflect this country's founding belief in its inexorable advancement and improvement.

Peered at through rose-coloured spectacles, they become the democratic flowering of American exceptionalism.
Some post-war examples might include John F Kennedy's victory in 1960, which was interpreted as bringing the somnolence of the Eisenhower years to an end and unbridling the frenetic energy of the Sixties.
At the 1980 election, Ronald Reagan is credited with bringing closure to America's long national nightmare of Vietnam and Watergate.
In 2008, Barack Obama seemed to personify how America could renew itself after the destruction of the Twin Towers and the collapse of Lehman Brothers.
On closer examination, however, those elections don't just look like expressions of hope but also outpourings of fear.
Jack Kennedy exploited Cold War anxieties that America was falling behind the Soviet Union, even inventing a "missile gap" that gave Moscow the supposed nuclear edge.
Ronald Reagan kicked off his election campaign by championing "states' rights" in Philadelphia, Mississippi - the site of the "Mississippi Burning" murders in the 1960s - using language that articulated southern white fears about the encroachment of the federal government and advancement of African-Americans in a setting loaded with shadowy symbolism.
In the aftermath of the financial crisis, Barack Obama profited from anxieties that the American economy was in meltdown.
All three benefited from what the political theorist Richard Hofstadter memorably described in the mid-1960s as "the paranoid style in American politics".
"American politics has often been an arena for angry minds," wrote Hofstadter, a line penned in 1964 that resonates just as strongly today. Now, as then, American elections commonly witness the triumph of fear over hope.
As we enter election year, there is a deep pool of nervousness and resentment from which to draw.
On the economic front, there is the shrinkage of the American middle class. New figures from Pew Research suggest that for the first time in more than four decades, the middle class is no longer in the majority.
People becoming wealthy enough to be defined as "better off" explain some of this shrinkage. But 20% of Americans are now in the lowest income tier, compared with 16% in the early 1970s.
The median wealth of middle-class households has also seen a dramatic fall over the course of this century, decreasing by 28% from 2001 to 2013. Pew found also that median incomes in all wealth brackets were lower in 2014 than in 2000. The "American dream" is not such an animating force.
What's often called the Uberisation of the economy - the move towards freelancing and flexible working arrangements - is eroding the traditional compact between employer and employee.
Fears about economic security overlap with fears about national security.
In the aftermath of the San Bernardino and Paris attacks, Americans are more fearful about the prospect of terrorist attacks than at any time since 9/11, according to a poll conducted by the New York Times and CBS News.
Some 44% of the public thought an attack was "very" likely in the next few months. A poll this month from Gallup suggested that Americans regard terrorism as the country's number one problem.
Confidence in American institutions has also been on the wane, as seen in another Gallup poll. Here are the results for how many people said they had a "great deal of confidence" in the following:
These are not good days for the American establishment, whose pillars look increasingly wobbly.
Beyond these statistics lies further evidence of national anxiety.
The spate of mass shootings - almost one a day in 2015 - has not just spread fears about public safety, but seemingly heightened concerns among gun owners that the federal government will some day restrict the availability of firearms (not that gun control is going anywhere in Congress).
That offers one explanation for the spike in gun sales on Black Friday in November, when the FBI ran a record-breaking 185,345 background checks, about two per second.
353
Mass shootings
62 shootings at schools
12,223 people killed in gun incidents
24,722 people injured in gun incidents
The Black Lives Matter campaign continues to highlight the brutal excesses of certain police officers. In recent months, a number of leading American university campuses, including Yale, have been restless. Even American football, the national winter sport, seems to be in a perpetual state of scandal.
Add to that the unchecked rise of China, the difficulty in combating the group calling itself Islamic State, the inability to humble Vladimir Putin, the failure to defeat the Taliban and a nagging sense of the waning of American international influence and that pool of resentment increasingly resembles a toxic swamp.
The state of the union is perturbed and anxious. America is beset by a climate of uncertainty and fear in which populist campaigns, like those mounted by Donald Trump on the right and Bernie Sanders on the left, can flourish.
Worryingly for Hillary Clinton, periods of national anxiety also have a tendency of producing party change in the White House. One thinks of Jack Kennedy in 1960, Richard Nixon in 1968, Jimmy Carter in 1976, Ronald Reagan in 1980 and Bill Clinton in 1992.
Back then, Bill Clinton cast himself as the candidate who still believed "in a place called Hope", his birthplace, but his success stemmed from enunciating the economic apprehensions of "the forgotten middle class".
For all the demographic and electoral map advantages that the Democrats have come to enjoy in presidential politics, Hillary Clinton will also need to give voice to middle class anxieties about stagnant incomes, wealth inequality and dwindling opportunity. It explains the tweet that launched her campaign back in April: "Everyday Americans need a champion, and I want to be that champion."
Whoever ends up on top, the campaign will provide yet more evidence of the paranoid style in American politics. It will not be marked by a sense of national renewal or sunniness.
Rather, 2016 looks set to be a year of fear.


University researchers have created a board game designed to help African midwives prevent women dying in childbirth.

The game, called Progression, has been made by the University of Manchester's school of nursing and midwifery.
It has been designed to help in the use of a chart which many midwives find difficult to complete.
The partograph records heart rate, blood pressure and temperature and is used to detect problems during labour.
The game's creators noted that midwives generally struggle to use the chart as a decision-making aid.
This prevents it being used properly to prevent death and illness during childbirth - a major problem in developing countries.
With this in mind, Progression involves charting a series of findings from a woman in labour.
As players move around the board they land on spaces which trigger a randomly selected card question, which they have to answer to keep moving.
A pilot scheme carried out with 165 midwives in east Africa has just concluded and indicated the game was well-received.
Prof Dame Tina Lavender, who led the project, said: "The crucial benefit of using this game is that it allows midwives to make mistakes without endangering lives.
"The game is designed to provide new knowledge, revise what they already know and discuss with other players the best ways to support women. The feedback from midwives working in these countries during the pilot was overwhelmingly positive."


Trade union leader Paul Kenny has been knighted in the Queen's Birthday Honours.

Sir Paul, the general secretary of the GMB union, said the award was for "every trade unionist trying to make the world a better place".
Conservative MP Simon Burns and former Lib Dem deputy leader Simon Hughes also receive knighthoods.
Former Conservative MP Anthony Steen has been appointed CBE for his campaigning work on human trafficking.
Mr Steen stood down from Parliament in 2010 after he was criticised for suggesting critics of his expenses claims were "jealous" of his "very, very large house".
After standing down, he set up the Human Trafficking Foundation and was appointed as a special envoy to Home Secretary Theresa May on the issue.
Mr Kenny is one of only a handful of trade union leaders to be knighted in the history of the honours list.
"I have accepted this as recognition of the crucial role trade unions play in society," he said.
However he went on to say that he would happily give up his title in return for better rights for low-paid workers.
"I would swap it tomorrow for the introduction of the Living Wage," he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.
"In the last few weeks alone I have met with the Pope and he thinks trade unions are great and people should join them, I have met with the President of Ireland and he thinks trade unions are great and people should join them.
"The Queen now recognises that trade unions have a great role to play in a modern society and recognises the contribution that trade unionists make."
The only people criticising the award were "the same old ideological fruitcakes" who refused to recognise the role of the union movement, he added.
The 65-year-old, who was honoured for his service to trade unions, worked his way up through the GMB's ranks having left school at 15 and previously worked at a brewery and as a postman.
He recently said the Labour Party would go "bankrupt" without union support.
Simon Hughes, who lost his Bermondsey and Old Southwark seat at the general election after 32 years, was knighted for public and political service.
He stepped down as Lib Dem deputy leader after being appointed justice minister in 2013.
Simon Burns, knighted for parliamentary and political service, was first elected as Conservative MP for Chelmsford in 1987.
He was a minister in the Department of Health in the last government, and also worked as rail minister.
The Conservative MP was chosen to propose the loyal address after the Queen's Speech last month, making jokes about his clashes with Speaker John Bercow.
Conservative donor and former treasurer Henry Angest has been awarded a knighthood for political service.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the Honours Committee, Sir Jonathan Stephens, said he was "disappointed" that honours for comedian Lenny Henry and actor Benedict Cumberbatch had been leaked to the media before their official announcement.
The Cabinet Office launched an inquiry into the leaking of names in the previous New Year Honours list.
Sir Jonathan said the committee had tightened security since those announcements six months ago, but would have to look again at its procedures to restrict access to the list.


Pupils from poorer backgrounds will get help to follow their interests outside school in a new scheme launched by the Welsh government.

The "Pupil Offer" will allow pupils to work with organisations in the arts, science, sport, culture and heritage.
Students in the first three years of secondary education will take part when it is launched in September.
Sports Wales, The Arts Council and the National Museum of Wales will all be involved among others.
The 40 schools in the scheme are already part of the Schools Challenge Cymru initiative, where Â£20m has been given to under performing schools to help them improve.
In November, education minister Huw Lewis told a conference of university leaders he expected them to get involved with the Pupil Offer by opening their doors and facilities to pupils.
Concerns were raised, however, about how practical that would be as students would need background checks before working with under-18s.


Some very big changes are now in the pipeline for the way people use their bank accounts and the way banks charge their customers.

The aim is to help people save money by encouraging them to change their banks, especially if they are likely to go overdrawn.
The plans come from the Competition and Markets Authority, which has the power to enforce its proposals.
They are the result of its two-year investigation.
The big idea is that something must be done to break the inertia of the UK banking public.
Just 3% of individuals and 4% of businesses switch their banks in any one year.
The CMA has already come to the conclusion that there is not enough competition to pressurise the banks into offering significantly better or cheaper services than their rivals.
In effect the big five banks - RBS, Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds and Santander - plus the Nationwide building society have their own huge, but largely captive, markets.
So the aim is to make it easier for people to switch banks and accounts, and to encourage them to save money by finding a better deal.
"The older and larger banks, which still account for the large majority of the retail banking market, do not have to work hard enough to win and retain customers and it is difficult for new and smaller providers to attract customers," the CMA says.
The other big issue is one that has dogged the industry and its customers for many years - the ability of banks to charge more or less what they like if you go overdrawn without permission.
In 2009, the Office of Fair Trading (now part of the CMA) failed completely in a legal challenge which would have overthrown the right of banks to set their own charges as they saw fit.
Now the CMA is ordering the banks to set their own monthly cash limits - a monthly maximum charge - on just how much they can charge if you go into an unauthorised overdraft - going into the red without asking your bank in advance.
Of course that doesn't go as far as a regulator being allowed to set a monthly limit on overdraft fees and charges.
But the fact there will be some sort of stated cash limit will make things clearer.
"Many personal customers, in particular overdraft users, could make significant savings by switching to a different current account," says the CMA.
That particular change should happen by September next year.
To encourage customers to switch or shop around, the CMA is ordering the banking industry to embrace the idea of Open Banking.
That means the financial technology industry is being invited to develop a computer application which will let bank customers run all their bank accounts, including moving money between them, even if they have several accounts spread around different banks.
At the moment the increasingly popular bank apps, which are issued by banks to their own customers for use on mobile phones, operate that bank's accounts only.
This new, all-purpose, banking app should be able, the CMA says, to let customers upload all their banking details so that "authorised intermediaries", such as price comparison services, will be able to tell them where the best accounts and services are to suit the way they typically save and spend.
The CMA hopes that this will encourage customers to move money around, either to avoid upcoming overdraft charges, or to gain higher interest on more generous accounts.
There are quite a few other proposals, for instance:
The CMA has spent the past two years investigating the banking industry.
Its final report, published today, is just the latest in a very long line of official inquiries into the banking industry that have been held over the past 20 years or so.
But now the CMA's plans have been finalised and published, they have various implementation dates ranging from the beginning of 2017 to the autumn of 2018.


The Lord Mayor of Belfast has called an emergency meeting of agencies which deal with homelessness following the death of a man in the city centre on Wednesday evening.

Four homeless people have died in Belfast this year.
Lord Mayor Arder Carson said the aim of the meeting was to see what more could be done to help the homeless.
The issue was also discussed by the executive at a meeting in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh.
Speaking to BBC reporter Mark Simpson, the Lord Mayor said: "The people with the skills and the experience, in terms of organisations that exist in the city, are the ones who are best placed to come up with a solution.
"That's why I'm asking to meet with them today to see if we can refocus and double our efforts to ensure that this doesn't happen in our city again."
During the executive meeting, Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, described the death of a fourth homeless person in Belfast as a "terrible tragedy".
The Social Development Minister, Lord Morrow, was also asked to look at what more can be done to help combat the plight of homelessness.
According to statistics obtained from the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, just under 20,000 people presented themselves as homeless in the period 2014/15.
Of this total, 11,016 were defined as homeless in accordance with current legislation.
A spokesperson for the Housing Executive said: "Homelessness does not just describe people sleeping on the streets.
"It has been our experience that the number of 'rough sleepers' on average on the street of Belfast on any given night is in single figures.
"Rough sleeping represents only a small amount of street activity which also includes street drinking and begging."


Four gunmen have been killed after trying to storm a guesthouse in a diplomatic area of the Afghan capital, Kabul, police say.

The attack resulted in an overnight gun battle in the Wazir Akbar Khan district, home to several embassies and official buildings.
The Taliban says it launched the attack. It lasted at least six hours.
The assailants were armed with a rocket propelled grenade launcher and other weapons, the interior ministry said.
No civilian or military casualties were reported.
"Four attackers who had one RPG launcher, three AK-47s and one grenade launcher were killed in Wazir Akbar Khan," deputy interior minister Mohammad Ayoub Salangi said on Twitter.
The four gunmen were killed before reaching their target, Kabul police chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi said.
Afghanistan's interior ministry told the BBC that the target was the former Heetal guesthouse, that was attacked by the Taliban in December 2009 and is now officially known as the Rabbani Guesthouse.
It is popular with foreigners and is owned by the Rabbani family, whose members include Afghanistan's current Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani, and its late former President, Burhanuddin Rabbani.
Earlier, Kabul police spokesman Ebadullah Karimi said the attackers had taken position among the trees behind the guesthouse.
The hotel manager told AFP news agency that all guests were in safe rooms and no-one was hurt.
"Heetal is very well fortified. After one or two initial explosions, our guards started firing on attackers who were unable to get inside," he said.
Correspondents say that the attackers appear to have tried to enter the hotel by firing a rocket propelled grenade at its heavy steel front gate.
Part of the gate was destroyed, but it was not damaged enough for the militants to get through.
The siege dragged on because police waited until daylight to identify and move in on their targets, officials said.
Security forces blocked roads and took up positions on rooftops, parking armoured personnel vehicles in the streets near the guesthouse.
The stand-off ended with a dawn round of sustained gunfire and big explosions that sent clouds of black smoke into the sky.
The attack began shortly before 23:00 (18:30 GMT). Police were later seen smashing street lights to cover their movements in the dark, the Associated Press reported.
The BBC's Sanjoy Majumder, in Kabul, said he had heard "sustained explosions, small arms fire and also the sound of grenades".
Reports by witnesses on social media said the fighting was close to the Tajik embassy and Street 15 in the Wazir Akbar Khan district.
While the area is popular with foreign workers and also houses government employees, it has been subject to several high-profile attacks in recent years, most notably in the Taverna du Liban restaurant last year.
In recent weeks, a new wave of attacks by the Taliban has targeted foreigners in Kabul.
Two weeks ago, 14 people were killed as they waited to attend a concert in a guesthouse in Kabul.
With the Taliban's traditional summer offensive under way, the UN says the number of civilians killed and injured across Afghanistan stands at nearly 3,000 over the first four months of the year, up 16% on the same period last year.
Are you in Kabul? Have you been affected by recent events? You can email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
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A teenager who raped a sleeping woman months after being released early from prison has been jailed for six years and three months.

Ross Wright, 19, attacked the 25-year-old woman at a house in Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, on 24 May.
He claimed the woman was awake and had consented to have sex but was convicted following a trial last month.
Wright was on early release from detention for a serious assault charge when he carried out the rape.
Jailing him at the High Court in Edinburgh, temporary judge Kenneth Maciver told Wright: "You took sexual advantage of a woman who you knew from prior observation to be fully asleep through the effects of a alcohol.
"It is clear to me that from the evidence that was placed before the court that you waited for your opportunity to enter her room before sexually assaulting her.
"You have been convicted of a despicable crime and I have to make it clear to you that an extended sentence is appropriate."
The judge ordered Wright to be supervised for 21 months following his release from jail. The 19-year-old was also placed on the sex offenders' register.
Wright's trial heard how the woman and friends had been at an 18th birthday party which was also attended by Wright.
At the end of the evening the woman went to sleep in a bedroom of the house and was woken up by Wright having sex with her.