screw driver down the sides just give it a lil push then when it feels like hose has come loose yank it of with a up and down action. THis is assuming you have removed the jubilies.
Used a combination of the two techniques and it came off Spent an hour cleaning the thermostatwith vinegar and an old toothbrush (couldn't find a big bottle of vinegar lol) and then popped it into a pot of water and brought it to the boil.
Thankfully, as soon as the water showed signs of coming to the boil the thermostat closed! Well chuffed! That saved me £50.