CIC's unions and provincial politicians feared that if the bank were bought by one of the big Parisian banks which already had branches nationwide, job cuts and branch closures were sure to follow.

ECONOMIST: French insurance

The anti-cuts pressure group Right to Work occupied a Tesco branch in Westminster at the weekend and bombarded its HQ and that of other big high street names with demands that work be paid the minimum rate.

BBC: Pooper store?

The original Helston branch line, which connected the town to main line services to London, was closed in 1964 as part of cuts recommended by Dr Richard Beeching, the chairman of the British Railways Board.

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Unison branch secretary Chris Hanrahan, who represents civilian staff working at the force, said the union had been expecting further cuts and predicted civilian staff and police officer jobs could be lost on top of 100 staff already made redundant.

BBC: Leicestershire police told to make further budget cuts