Republicans slam Trump’s firing of Bureau of Labor Statistics chief

President claimed that recently released figures showing jobs slowdown were rigged' to make him look bad

Senior Republican lawmakers are condemning the decision of their party leader, Donald Trump, to fire the leading US labor market statistician after a report that showed the national economy added just 73,000 jobs - far fewer than expected - in July.

The disappointing figures - coupled with a downward revision of the two previous months amounting to 258,000 fewer jobs and data showing that economic output and consumer spending slowed in the first half of the year - point to an overall economic deterioration in the US.