Tax justice advocates have criticised George Osborne's announced clampdown on tax avoidance as "hollow" and "yet more hypocrisy".

When UK chancellor George Osborne and other ministers pledged to slash benefits further, and remove basic rights, while protecting the assets of millionaires, some words of the prophet Zechariah two-and-a-half millennia ago seemed appropriate, says Savi Hensman. She challenges people of faith to develop a more critical perspective on leadership, both political and religious.

Friends of the Earth's Executive Director has told his annual conference that the Chancellor's "reckless agenda threatens jobs, businesses and our precious environment."