Thousands of protesters join defiant anti-austerity march through Birmingham to fight Tories - and 'the Blairites'

Thousands of protesters on Sunday marched against austerity as the Tories kicked off their party conference. Organisers of the protests claim more than 10,000 activists and union members joined the demonstration organised by the People's Assembly Against Austerity just minutes away from the plush venue where Prime Minister Theresa May spoke in Birmingham.

Samba drums sounded out beat as demonstrators chanted "Tory scum!" and "Tories out!", as they protest against six years of damaging benefit sanctions and public sector cuts.
Protesters branded banners and placards mocking former PM David Cameron as a "financial terrorist" while one protester held a banner reading "evil witch" Margaret Thatcher "regenerated" into Theresa May.

The marchers also reserved their anger for Labour's internal fight - with a union leader suggesting MPs opposed to Jeremy Corbyn should face mandatory reselection.
Speaking on top a fire truck in the city's Victoria Square, PCS vice-president John McInally said:

"It is not bullying and it is not intimidation to call for mandatory reselection of MPs.

"That is nothing more than a basic democratic demand."

Corbyn's ally and Shadow Defence Secretary Clive Lewis also faced attacks for failing to say he would scrap Trident .

Stop The War Coalition national organiser John Rees told the crowd:

"I say to the right wing of the Labour party - you wasted a summer. Nobody wanted that leadership contest. Jeremy Corbyn didn't want that leadership contest.

"You forced us to fight amongst ourselves when we should've been fighting the Tories.

"I’ll say this to Clive Lewis as well. Every pound spent on Trident . Every pound spent paying for Nato imposed 2% of GDP arms budget.

"Every pound spent on guns and weapons and bombs, is a pound not spent on hospitals and schools and houses and decent wages.”

“You’re only there, you are only in the shadow cabinet, because Jeremy Corbyn put you there. So start defending Jeremy Corbyn’s policy on Trident and Nato and arms spending."

The Socialist Students chanted: "tuition fees no way, make the f***ing bankers pay” and "when they cut back and privatize we fight back and multiply” he added.

The protesters also turned the heat on Labour's battle, singing to the tune of Clementine:

"Build a bonfire, build a bonfire, put the Tories on the top / Put the Blairites in the middle and we’ll burn the f***ing lot / Keep it burning, keep it burning, put the bankers on as well / They’re as guilty as the others, they can all go burn in hell”.

Several groups from major unions to Communist supporters joined the protest, which was not a Labour Party event.
Speakers at the event included NUT general secretary Kevin Courtney, former Green leader Natalie Bennett and the Stop the War Coalition’s Lindsey German.

Steelworkers from the stricken plant in Port Talbot also took part in the march as part of the Mirror-backed Save Our Steel campaign.
Speaking to the Mirror, one union shop steward at the plant said;

"This isn't about saving steel any more, it's about saving manufacturing in the UK,"

"All the Tories do is talk. They don't actually put anything into action.

"There's anger, disappointment, but also it's uncertainty. A lot of people are very anxious. We don't know if we're up for sale or having a merger.

"We've got people who've been refused mortgages. As soon as they mention Tata Steel they can't get a mortgage."

One of the marchers, dressed as a skeleton to protest about social care, while another wielded two banners at once against Trident and a third wore a badger mask to protest against the government's cull.

Police said they arrested one person. A 17-year-old boy was held after reports of "a young man with his face covered running through the crowd scaring people."