Unite: Govt goes easy on its City friends

Len McCluskey, Unite general secretary, comments on the public accounts committee (PAC) report into corporate tax avoidance:

"At last confirmation of what has been long said – that the government is too lax when it comes to collecting the money corporations owe this nation.

"Some £25 billion is being squandered because the government prefers to go easy on its friends in the City. But now, in this time of severe austerity, this lenience is costing ordinary people heavily. Jobs are going, services are being cut, the challenge of making ends meet is biting into everyday life.

"This is not just a question of efficient management of the nation's finances, but also one of managing them in the interests of the many. George Osborne and the Treasury have been exposed – they need to shape up urgently because their credibility is in ruins."