LONDON — Protesters rallied in
London and
elsewhere around Britain on Saturday over the cost-of-living crisis, as the
ruling Conservatives geared up for their annual conference insisting their
debt-fueled tax-slashing plans were “credible”.
اضافة اعلان
Thousands of demonstrators aligned with various
causes and organizations — including environmentalists Extinction Rebellion and
Just Stop Oil as well as inflation-focused group “Don’t Pay UK” — blocked roads
and bridges in London.
People chanting “can’t pay, won’t pay” burned mock
energy statements, as huge price increases to electricity and gas bills came
into effect at midnight Friday.
The government has capped the rise at roughly 27
percent for the next two years — meaning the average household will pay annual
bills of around £2,500 — following several previous dramatic spikes over the
last year.
But that could still prove unaffordable for many,
and comes amid decades-high inflation that has pushed up the cost of petrol,
food, and numerous other everyday essentials.
Demonstrators demanding more action to tackle the
climate emergency also attended, with the “Just Stop Oil” group demanding the
UK government stop all new oil and gas extraction.
‘Iron grip’
Meanwhile, protesters turned out in
Birmingham to rally against the
handling of the situation by the ruling Tories, who kick off their annual
conference in the central English city on Sunday.
Following a week of
turmoil on financial markets prompted by their September 23 minibudget,
under-fire Prime Minister Liz Truss and her Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi
Kwarteng arrive on the defensive over the economic package.
The tax-slashing
plans, which will dramatically increase government borrowing, went further than
many expected, abolishing the top rate of income tax and lifting a cap on
bankers’ bonuses.
It prompted the
pound to drop to its lowest ever level against the dollar.
After nearly a week
of silence, Truss faced a grueling round of BBC radio and regional television
interviews Thursday, before penning an article in The Sun published overnight.
In it, she conceded for the first time that the plans had prompted
“short-term disruption” but vowed to press on with them and handle public money
with “an iron grip”.
However, Britons
and economic analysts appear unconvinced.
A poll Friday found
just over half think both Truss and Kwarteng should resign — less than four
weeks after they took office.
Support for the
minibudget has been in the single digits in some surveys.
Read more Region and World
Jordan News
.jpg)
.jpg)
