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TWO massive marches drawing hundreds of thousands of people will today start an uprising against austerity and disastrous Osbornomics — which includes plans for rolling protests at Tory conference.
The London People’s Assembly’s End Austerity Now demonstration will start in the City before descending on Parliament Square, while Glasgow’s rally will take place in George Square.
Singer Charlotte Church will lead the capital’s anti-cuts chorus alongside Labour leadership candidate Jeremy Corbyn and Unite union leader Len McCluskey.
Organisers predict that the post-election protests could be the biggest since a TUC demonstration in 2011 saw 500,000 people take to the streets.
More than 250 coaches have been booked to bring people from across Britain for the rallies.
People’s Assembly national secretary Sam Fairbairn said: “I think we’re looking at least 100,000 and possibly upwards of 200,000.
“David Cameron thinks because he’s got a slim majority in Parliament it means that he won’t be faced with any kind of opposition.
“Well today we’ll show him this is his opposition.”
And the Star can reveal that resistance to Tory cuts won’t end when the final speaker leaves the stage.
The People’s Assembly is planning an unprecedented four-day protest outside the Tory conference in Manchester later this year, with details for a national demonstration to be staged on October 4 set to be announced from the stage today.
That will be followed by three more protests on specific issues, such as the privatisation of the NHS and Britain’s housing crisis.
“Each day we’ll have a different themed protest depending on what they’re going to be disucssing at the conference,” Mr Fairbairn explained.
“That’s going to sustain the momentum from today’s demonstration.”
There are also set to be People’s Assemblies across the country, a aand a housing conference on October 10.
The anti-austerity demonstration comes after official figures showed yesterday that Chancellor George Osborne is set to borrow three times more than he planned this year.
Mr Osborne is on course to borrow £75 billion instead of £20bn, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said it showed the Tory had been forced to “bail out his failed economic plan.”
But she warned: “Rather than learning from his mistakes, the Chancellor is about to embark upon a fresh round of savage cuts.”
In her speech at today’s protest, Green MP Caroline Lucas will call on MPs from all parties to oppose his plans.
She will say: “It’s time for all of us who oppose the government’s self-defeating austerity programme to work together
“So my challenge here today to all MPs who call themselves progressive, and especially to those in the Labour Party, is this: Vote against further austerity, protect our public services, and defy your leadership by voting down the savage welfare cap.”