Democratic legislators said on Wednesday that chances were remote of approving $25bn (£17bn) in new aid for the troubled US car industry, as congressmen ridiculed the chief executives of the big three for travelling by corporate jet to ask for support.

“There’s a delicious irony of seeing private luxury jets flying into DC and people coming off them with tin cups in their hands, saying that they’re going to be trimming down and streamlining their businesses,” Gary Ackerman, a Democrat from New York, said at a House of Representatives hearing with the heads of the three companies.