Hundreds of protesters marched in London on Saturday, and similar marches were held in other UK cities to protest the rising cost of living that strangles low-income families.
In the capital, protesters marched behind a black banner calling for a ‘lower energy bill’, while a placard called for ‘stabilize prices, not the poor’, in a reference to rising energy bills that could lead to lower incomes. Families with had to give up heating.
Protesters demand Bozo’s departure
Several placards also called for the departure of Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson, declaring the “Tories out”. Former Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn was among the protesters who gathered at the call of the People’s Assembly, an anti-austerity movement, supported by several unions. Other demonstrations were planned in the rest of the United Kingdom, from Glasgow (Scotland) to Cardiff (Wales) via Manchester (North of England).
“Maybe if you save on wine and cheese it will help me keep the lights on,” read a placard held by a protester in Glasgow, referring to the parties at Downing. Street despite restrictions against Covid-19, which caused a scandal and thawed Boris Johnson’s popularity.
Best wishes and lots of love to everyone who took to the streets today to protest against this shameful government and the cost of life crisis. The working class people should not pay for the crisis they did not create. Find out where your local protest is here https://t.co/3Ww2yi5SDxpic.twitter.com/dC8jL9sfQW
—Laura Pidcock (@LauraPidcock) 12 February 2022
“Extraordinarily difficult period” for low-income workers
“The working classes should not pay for the crisis they did not create,” Laura Pidcock, the national secretary of the People’s Assembly, said on Twitter. Low-income workers in Britain face “extraordinarily difficult times” due to rising costs of living, the British trade union federation TUC also warned on Monday. The union federation reported in a report that the number of workers benefiting from a minimum income (“universal credit”) has increased by 1.3 million in the country compared to before the pandemic.
A TUC survey of 2,200 workers shows that one in eight says they will struggle to pay for basic necessities in the coming months. The Bank of England has warned that inflation in Britain, already at a 30-year high of 5.4% at the end of 2021, could climb to 7.25% by April and is unlikely to return to normal levels within two years. The BoE is targeting inflation at 2%.
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