Labour leader Ed Miliband exposed the gap between Chancellor George Osborne's rhetoric and the reality faced by people across Britain yesterday.

Mr Miliband began his retort to the Chancellor's latest Budget by reminding him of a previous pledge to grow the economy "steadily and sustainably."

He quoted figures that show living standards have slumped "sharply and steeply" in 44 of the 45 months since the Tories took power.