Thousands of UK factory, car plant and steel workers who marched in Birmingham yesterday to defend their jobs, above, were joined by Lord (Digby) Jones, former trade minister and director of the CBI.

With unemployment soaring to more than 2.2 million, Jones said he felt compelled to take part: "I've never been on a march before in my life, and I'm probably not seen as the trade unions' best friend. But this issue is so incredibly important." Led by workers from Teesside Cast Products in Redcar, where up to 2,000 jobs are at risk, the March for Jobs was part of a Europe-wide fightback.