British Prime Minister David Cameron has delivered a stark warning about the long-term cuts which he says will be needed to tackle Britain's £156bn (€188bn) budget deficit.
The new Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government has already outlined plans for £6.2bn in cuts this financial year and is due to present its first budget on 22 June.
In what is regarded by many commentators as a political softening up before an austere budget, Mr Cameron's message was that things were even worse than expected and that putting it right will be a long and painful process.
He accused Labour of 'reckless' spending and said the public sector had to be brought 'back into line'.
In five years, he said, the UK would be paying €70bn in interest on its debt.
