CUTS in spending on public services that mainly affect people in need are moving “too fast and too far,” the finance ministers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland warned the government yesterday.

The Conservative Party’s “broken austerity programme” is a severe risk to public services and an urgent meeting should be held ahead of Chancellor George Osborne’s spending review on November 25, they added.

The cautionary letter sent to Chief Secretary to the Treasury Greg Hands was signed by Scotland’s Deputy First Minister John Swinney, Arlene Foster of the Northern Ireland executive and Jane Hutt of the Welsh government.