Thousands take to the streets to protest against soaring cost of living
Thousands take to the streets around Britain in ‘Can’t Pay!’ protest against soaring cost of living hitting workers and their families
Workers took to the streets to protest planned rises in the energy price cap and skyrocketing inflationProtests in London, Manchester and Newcastle were supplemented by smaller demonstrations in townsPeople called for the government to tax the rich in order to pay to alleviate the cost of living for regular people
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Protests against the cost-of-living crisis have taken place across the UK today as discontented people took to the streets as inflation and energy prices skyrocket.
Placards were held up in Parliament Square reading ‘tax the rich’ and taking aim at skyrocketing energy costs.
The People’s Assembly group organised the demonstrations supported by trade unions, in towns and cities around the UK.
In Newcastle, a placard referred to ‘Tory tricksters’, while another sign held near a baby said ‘I can do a better job than Boris’.
Newcastle: Protestors took aim at Boris Johnson’s Government and implored it to tax the rich to alleviate the crisis
Newcastle: The protests included placards which took issue with the Government’s plan to lower energy costs with loans
Newcastle: Three-month-old Jocelyn Wilczek joins people in Newcastle taking part in the People’s Assembly nationwide protest about cost of living crisis
London: The marches also included people asking for gas and electricity to be renationalised in order to control prices
Newcastle: People in Newcastle take part in the People’s Assembly nationwide protest about cost of living crisis
Laura Pidcock, national secretary of the People’s Assembly, said there is ‘real anger’ at what she described as a ‘growing crisis’.
The former Labour MP added: ‘Working people could not be working harder and yet life is getting so much more difficult.
‘People can see clearer than ever the inequality in our society, that while there are companies making massive profits and the richest individuals are getting so much richer, everybody else is having to suffer, making very difficult decisions to try and get by.
The People’s Assembly group organised the demonstrations supported by trade unions, in towns and cities around the UK
‘Older people will be cold in their homes, people will be struggling to feed their children, when none of this is a crisis of their making.
‘Meanwhile, the Government sits by and does nothing to help the people. So, we will be out on the streets saying enough is enough.’
Sharon Graham, general secretary of Unite, said protests are taking place because ‘people are fed up of rich men telling them that they have to pay for boardroom greed and colossal market failure’.
She said: ‘This crisis was not caused by working people and we are not going to take wage cuts to pay for it.
Members of Unite who have been involved in industrial action were expected to speak at one of the protests
‘Why should the public always bail out the markets and policy makers? Where firms can pay, they should pay and under my watch Unite will unashamedly continue to protect the living standards of its members.’
Fran Heathcote, president of the Public and Commercial Services union, said: ‘Low-paid workers cannot and will not pay for the Government’s problems.
‘The hike in heating bills, fuel, transport costs and national insurance contributions, at the same time as pay is held down and pensions are being attacked, leaves most workers with a real cost of living crisis.’
Jeremy Corbyn, the independent MP and former Labour leader, said he thought that British military involvement in Ukraine during the cost of living crisis was wrong.
He rallied against government spending on arms and not social services.
Members of Unite who have been involved in industrial action were expected to speak at the protest in Manchester.
Jeremy Corbyn, the independent MP and former Labour leader, said he thought that British military involvement in Ukraine during the cost of living crisis was wrong
Glasgow: Campaigners attend a rally in George Square in protest against the rising cost of living
Glasgow: There were even references to the Downing Street partygate scandals at the protests
Struggling families could even be forced to ration power when they need it most under the drive to go green as the cost of living soars.
An overhaul of the energy market will allow homes with a smart meter to be charged more for using electricity at peak times.
Households will pay less for electricity at night and more when demand is high under energy regulator Ofgem’s plans.
The move, which the regulator says could save households £4.6billion over more than 20 years, will allow suppliers to automatically receive readings every half hour and set different rates throughout the day.
It is hoped that encouraging families to spread their power use will ease pressure on the grid as more households acquire electric cars and replace gas boilers with heat pumps.
