The roll-call of job cuts across Britain lengthened on Thursday as Aviva, the country’s biggest insurer, announced it is to shed 1,690 jobs at its Norwich Union Life division.

The cull of white-collar jobs was announced as Bombardier, the Canadian aircraft maker, added to the jobs crisis in the UK manufacturing sector with plans to shed 1,275 jobs at its plant in Belfast as part of a further 10 per cent cut in its global workforce.