Government policy is contributing to toughest livelihood squeeze in decades, says the Trades Union Congress ahead of the Chancellor's budget statement today.

Scottish Green MSPs yesterday voted against the SNP administration's budget, accusing a "grand cuts coalition" of backing Conservative policies.

The UK coalition government has been left on the back foot in defending its emergency budget after established analysts proclaimed its social impact regressive and its economic approach flawed.

Policy experts and commentators from the churches and Christian organisations have criticised the Conservative-Liberal Democrat government for a budget which hits the most vulnerable hardest.