'End Austerity Now' March Expected To Draw Thousands

Thousands of protestors from across the country will descend on the capital tomorrow to join politicians, union leaders and celebrities in a demonstration against austerity.

Organisers say it will be the biggest event of its kind in years – and will be the first big public protest the Government has had to face since the election.

The throng will assemble at midday and march from the Bank of England on Queen Victoria St to Westminster, where a rally will be held, with Charlotte Church due to address the crowds.

Also set to speak are Len McCluskey of the Unite union, firefighters' leader Matt Wrack, Labour leadership contender Jeremy Corbyn and Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness.

Sam Fairbairn, of the People's Assembly, which is organising the protest, said: 'It will be the start of a campaign of protest, strikes, direct action and civil disobedience up and down the country.

'We will not rest until austerity is history, our services are back in public hands and the needs of the majority are put first.'

Writing on the People's Assembly website, one activist added: 'We need to challenge this Tory government wherever we can: confront their policies, their rhetoric, their ideology. We can't sit back and let these things happen, we need to actively contest them all the way.'

Anti-nuclear activists will also be among those taking part. Kate Hudson, general secretary of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, said mass public protest is the only way they might persuade the Conservatives not to renew the Trident nuclear programme.

Lindsey German, of the Stop The War Coalition, said: 'I will be marching because I am fed up with all the main parties saying they are going to promote austerity. They have made the rich richer and the poor poorer and they're going to continue.'

Union leaders and campaign groups will highlight the impact of spending cuts on public services, the NHS, welfare and education, and warn of the potential effects of fresh cuts expected to be announced in next month's Budget.

A similar protest is being held in Glasgow. Green Party leader Natalie Bennett, who will be leading a Green Bloc on the march, said: 'It's not often that 50,000 like-minded people from across the country come together, all prepared to take action to save what is left of our public services. We must use this march to make new friends, to share our ideas, to remind each other that we are not alone.'