The demonstrators have accused the Labour government of deepening poverty while ramping up military production
Thousands of people marched through central London on Saturday to protest the UK government’s deepening militarization at the expense of public welfare.
The demonstration, organized by the People’s Assembly, began at midday at Portland Place and moved toward Whitehall, with participants chanting and holding placards that read “Tax the Rich,” “Nurses Not Nukes,” and “Welfare Not Warfare.”
Trade unionists, campaigners, and activists from across the country rallied under the slogan “No to Austerity 2.0,” calling on the Labour government to abandon fiscal policies that cut support services while escalating defense spending.
“Scrapping winter fuel payments, keeping the Tory two-child benefit cap, cutting disability support, and slashing foreign aid—while boosting defense spending—are not ‘tough choices,’ they are political choices,” a spokesperson for the People’s Assembly said.
Demonstrators condemned Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s “battle-ready, armor-clad” rhetoric, accusing him of using the language of conflict to silence criticism of his economic agenda. “His war-mongering talk of war-readiness and a new era of threat are a cynical attempt to deflect any criticisms of his policy of cuts and austerity,” one campaign leaflet read. “His call for everyone to be part of the defense of the country is an attempt to label anyone who opposes his obscene militarism and austerity as unpatriotic.”
“We will not and never will accept a government that is more interested in arms sales than in looking after the poor in its own country,” Martin Cavanagh, President of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), told the crowd.
Angela Grant, President of the DWP group, said people were “dying because they do not have food in their bellies,” while military budgets rise and the NHS continues to be underfunded.
Labour leader Keir Starmer unveiled the Strategic Defense Review on Monday, committing to increase military spending to 3% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The government’s plan includes expanded production of warplanes, long-range missiles, and its nuclear-powered submarine fleet.
Defense Secretary John Healey said last week that the UK was “sending a message to Moscow” by allocating billions of pounds for new munitions factories and long-range strike capabilities.
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In addition, London has pledged to deliver 100,000 drones to Ukraine by April 2026. A government statement confirmed that £350 million from a wider £4.5 billion Ukraine support package would be used for new drone shipments.
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