London: Thousands of protesters gathered outside the Houses of Parliament to protest the cost of living crisis. The protests come amid soaring costs of food and energy bills.
Rocketing prices have included The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) increasing the energy price cap by 54 percent, which has led to a nearly £700 annual rise in bills for those who pay by direct debit.
Council tax has also risen by around 3.5 percent, meaning those in band D could face paying an extra £2,000 per year. And water bills will also be rising by an average of 1.7 percent.
As per the sources, the scene of the protest outside the Houses of Parliament in Central London estimated more than 3,000 people were in attendance.
Protesters are venting their anger at Boris Johnson’s Governemnt at today’s protest outside the Houses of Parliament.
Jen Liddell, 37, said: “This crisis is class warfare from the Tory government. We need to rally together to give each other courage. Living in London is becoming impossible and depressing, and we are all just sick of it.”
Harry Jones, 35, added: “I am angry; that’s why I am here. The government treats the poorest like dirt, and we have had enough. We need to show solidarity. Do they expect us just to waste away and die? How are we supposed to afford anything at the moment?”
According to the information provided by the sources, there is a heavy police presence, with at least 100 City of London officers and around 10 police vans.
Groups including Stand Up To Racism and trade union Unison are in attendance at the protest this afternoon.
According to the traffic monitoring website Inrix, traffic on roads southbound between Langham Place and Trafalgar Square is queueing traffic.
There is also congestion to Euston Road, routes around Hyde Park and Marble Arch, down Embankment, and on the other side of the river around Lambeth Bridge.
The demo has reached Parliament Square. The back of the demo stretches all the way back to Oxford Circus, past Piccadilly Circus. Oxford Street and Piccadilly Underpass are closed for traffic control.
