'Cut war not welfare': Thousands line streets in protest over soaring cost of living
12 February 2022, 16:55 | Updated: 12 February 2022, 16:58
Protesters have lined streets across the UK to highlight the impact of the cost of living crisis on workers and their families.
The People's Assembly co-ordinated the demonstrations, supported by trade unions, in towns and cities around the UK including London, Manchester, Newcastle, Bristol, Nottingham, Glasgow and Brighton.
Placards held aloft in Parliament Square in central London read "tax the rich" and "cut war not welfare" whilst others carried other messages objecting to a rise in energy prices.
Ramona McCartney, a People’s Assembly National Organiser, said the crisis needs to be "resolved immediately" to help the "millions of household who just cant take the extra burden".
She told at LBC at the Parliament Square demonstration: "We were already in a dire situation before going into the coronavirus pandemic so of course that didn't help."
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Ramona McCartney at cost of living protest.mp4
The protests come after the Resolution Foundation, said 2022 could be defined as the "year of the squeeze" predicting families will face a £1,200 income hit from soaring energy bills and tax rises.
The Resolution Foundation said energy bills could rise by about £500 from April, while the cost of collapsing providers – triggered by rises in the price of gas – would add about £100 on to bills.
Low income families, who spend more of what they earn on energy, will be disproportionately affected, potentially forcing them to spend 12% of their income on power, compared to 8.5% now.
National Insurance contributions will cost the average household £600 a year while real wages "had almost certainly" begun to fall, the foundation said.
Some experts still believe it could be years before gas prices drop below their high levels, with Goldman Sachs suggesting gas prices could remain at twice their usual level until 2025.
In Newcastle, a placard held during the protest referred to "Tory tricksters", while another sign held near a baby said "I can do a better job than Boris".
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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.
"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."
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Edinburgh cost of living protest
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.
"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, added: "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."
Members of Unite who have been involved in industrial action were expected to speak at the protest in Manchester.
