‘Enough is Enough’: Protest to be held in Hull against cost of living crisis

MESSAGE: A campaign poster ahead of the national day of action on Saturday

By Simon Bristow

A protest against the cost of living crisis will be held in Hull on Saturday as part of a national day of action in 50 towns and cities across Britain.

Organised by the Enough is Enough campaign, the rally will take place at noon in Queens Gardens and will feature a range of speakers including Hull Labour Councillor Aneesa Akbar, and musician Chiedu Oraka.

The day of action comes amid a deepening sense of national crisis since new Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng announced a “mini budget” last week that resulted in the collapse of the value of Sterling, a warning from the International Monetary Fund, a rise in the cost of government debt, the withdrawal of hundreds of mortgage products, and an emergency intervention in response from the Bank of England in an attempt to halt a run on Britain’s pension funds.

Subsequent statements from Number 10 and the Treasury have failed to reassure the markets, and this morning new Prime Minister Liz Truss gave a series of faltering regional broadcast interviews in which she tried to portray it as an international crisis, blamed Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine, and sought to focus on Government help to reduce energy bills, which was also announced by Kwarteng.

These fresh concerns over rising mortgage and rent costs have only added to the cost of living crisis amid spiralling inflation and stagnant or real-terms falls in wages.

The Enough is Enough campaign was formed by trade unions and community organisations and states its five aims as:

• A real pay rise

• Slash energy bills

• End food poverty

• Decent homes for all

• Tax the rich.

Announcing the day of action to its 208,000 followers on Twitter, the campaign said: “It’s time to say #EnoughisEnough. This Saturday, October 1st, we’ll be protesting in 50 cities and towns across Britain: For pay rises, against the energy rip-off, to end food poverty - and to say no to handouts for the rich.”

Coun Akbar said: “People will be speaking about their experiences with the cost of living crisis. Everyone is feeling bleak at the moment but we need to find a way through and to help people.

“Lizz Truss talked about how British workers are lazy but this isn’t a problem created by laziness, it’s a national problem caused by a lack of intervention and the costs and blame being passed onto working people.

“I think it’s going to be a really good mix of people. It’s about bringing communities together and saying when we come together we can find those solutions. This is the biggest issue affecting a lot of us and we need to come together on this.”

Enough is Enough is also supported by MPs including Zarah Sultana and Ian Byrne, and organisations including communications union the CWU, Tribune magazine, and community union Acorn.