George Osborne practises what he preaches in cut-price holiday

Austerity chancellor George Osborne flew on no-frills airline easyJet for his holiday in Tuscany.

The man whose emergency Budget last month was the toughest in a generation saved hundreds of pounds by using the low-cost carrier.

The Chancellor, wife Frances and children Luke, nine, and Liberty Kate, seven, queued at Pisa airport to come home at the weekend — saving £60 by refusing to pay the supplement that allows some passengers to jump the queue for boarding.

As heir to the Osborne & Little soft furnishings empire, the Chancellor is not short of money but an aide said he was against unnecessary expense in both his private life and the public sector.

It was recently revealed that Mr Osborne hit the roof when told that it would cost £148 to have a fish and chip lunch in his office with Bank of England governor Mervyn King and other officials.

He cancelled the order and took his guests to the staff canteen instead, where they ate the same food for £32.