EUROZONE finance ministers met yesterday to rule on whether the Greek government’s sweeping spending cuts have been enough to merit its next batch of bailout loans.

Alexis Tsipras’s Syriza administration forced through a further round of punishing cuts in the early hours of Monday, slashing payments to the poorest pensioners and lowering the threshold above which tax is levied on income.

A “solidarity levy” imposed on all taxpayers since last year will also be increased, although the government did introduce a national pension set at €384 (£305) a month.