Thousands marched through central London on Saturday in protest of rising cost of living in Britain.
Large crowds flocked to the British capital for the rally to demand that the government do more to help people who are facing bills and other expenses rising faster than their wages.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been criticized for being slow to respond to the cost-of-living crisis. Inflation in Britain and across Europe has risen as Russia’s war in Ukraine has shrunk supplies of energy and food stacks such as wheat. Prices had already risen before the war, as the global economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in strong consumer demand.
Protesters carried banners with messages such as “Cut war not welfare.” They yelled as they passed 10 Downing Street, the premier’s residence, according to videos posted on social media.
Ben Robinson, who works for a charity in south London’s Brixton neighborhood, said the government did not realize how bad things were going to be for the poor.
“We have residents coming into our offices who choose between feeding their own children, not themselves, their own children, and paying rent and heating,” he said. “It’s just not a choice anyone should face, you know, in the fourth largest economy in the world.”
The TUC, an umbrella organization for unions that organized the protest, said its research indicated that workers had effectively lost a total of almost £ 20,000 ($ 24,450) since 2008 because payment had not kept pace with inflation.
Johnson’s government is facing heavy pressure to do more to help Britons struggling with rising fuel and food prices and domestic energy bills. In one example of the crisis in household finances, a data firm said the average cost to refill a typical family car exceeds £ 100 ($ 125).
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