RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said: “This is the same old mixture of cuts and austerity from this Government of the rich, for the rich and will do nothing to tackle the evils of poverty and unemployment that are devastating the lives of millions of people away from the cosy world of the political class and the Westminster bubble.

“Never mind the triple dip recession, the greed of the speculators and bankers has locked Britain into a full-scale depression and today George Osborne has chosen to ladle out more of the same, failed policies that have shattered this nation. The Cypriot people have shown us the way – get on the streets, stand up to the political and boss class and you can force the rich and the powerful into a full scale retreat.”