EU finance ministers have given Britain six months to come up with plans to cut public spending, the EU-critical electoral alliance No2EU – Yes to Democracy warned today.

No2EU - Yes to Democracy West Midlands co-ordinator Cllr Dave Nellist gave the warning after EU finance ministers meeting Prague last week warned the UK to cut its budget deficit to the EU Stability and Growth Pact limit of three per cent within four years.

"The UK government recorded a government deficit of £78 billion last year, equivalent to 5.4 per cent of Gross Domestic Product, and the Stability and Growth Pact limits budget deficits to three per cent of GDP which currently adds up to £43 billion.

"Reducing the current government budget deficit by £35 billion in a year implied potentially appalling cuts in essential public services.

"Local authorities are already conducting a "doomsday study" of the potential impact on local council budgets of up to 30 per cent funding cuts and it paints an horrific picture for local services," the former Labour MP warned.

NO2EU - Yes to Democracy convener Bob Crow said that the EU’s strict criteria had enforced the privatisation of capital projects to keep them off the government's books, by means of private finance initiatives (PFI) and the disastrous PPP on London Underground, which had increased the costs of essential public services and subsidised corporate profits.

"It is clear that EU leaders want ordinary working people to pay for the recession, by cutting essential public services, instead of the banks and finance companies that contributed so much to the economic crisis in the first place.

"That's why a vote for No2EU – Yes to Democracy against the EU’s privatisation agenda is so essential on June 4," the transport union leader said.