Unions demanded a sharp reality check yesterday after mediocre economic growth figures sparked an outpouring of joy from Chancellor George Osborne.

Tory MPs went wild with excitement in the Commons when Mr Osborne announced that Britain's GDP had grown by an estimated 0.7 per cent in the last quarter of 2013.

This leaves the nation's economy 1.3 per cent smaller than it was six years ago, with manufacturing languishing at just 11 per cent of the total.