ACROSS the country, teachers are standing up not only for education but for the future of our democracy.

The rise of Reform UK and the mainstreaming of racist, authoritarian ideas should alarm every one of us. But what’s equally alarming is how the Labour leadership has responded, not with resistance, but with retreat. Instead of challenging the divisive rhetoric of the far right, they echo it. Instead of defending migrants, disabled people and working-class communities, they scapegoat and cut.

You don’t defeat the politics of fear by copying them. You don’t push back against Reform by handing them your talking points.

Let’s be clear: the Labour government’s decision to cut support for disabled people, attack benefits and starve public services of funding is not just a betrayal; it’s creating the very conditions that allow the far right to grow. And at a time when schools are crying out for investment, they find billions for war, but not for our children. This is not just bad policy; it’s dangerous politics.

Every crumbling classroom, every overworked teacher, and every child without the support they need is the result of choices made in Westminster. While military budgets continue to balloon, education is often neglected. While scapegoating becomes the language of government, hope is stripped from our communities.

We say: enough.

At the NEU, we believe in education as a public good, not a political afterthought. We believe in a society that supports its most vulnerable, not one that turns them into targets. We believe in investment in schools, in welfare, and in the future, not warfare.

The slogan “Welfare Not Warfare” speaks to everything this government has got wrong. And it speaks to the kind of future we must fight for: one that is inclusive, just and rooted in solidarity.

On June 7, we’ll be marching with our colleagues across the trade union movement. We’ll be standing up not just for teachers and pupils but for the kind of society we want to build, one that says no to austerity, no to racism and no to war.

If Labour won’t offer real change, then we must demand it from the ground up.
Join us. Speak out. Stand together.
DANIEL KEBEDE

PCS MEMBERS were at the sharp end of austerity under previous governments, as part of an ideological assault on working-class people, that saw jobs and services slashed as workers were made to pay the price for the recklessness of the bankers.  Now, under a Labour government, we face potentially renewed threats.  

That’s why PCS members will be marching with the People’s Assembly on June 7 to ensure that there is no repeat. 

The richest continue to be handed tax breaks, corporations dodge billions in tax and military spending continues to soar. The government says there is not enough money for public services, but there is always money for war and for the wealthy. That’s not just unjust, it’s a political choice.

Cutting disability benefits while protecting the super-rich is an attack on the most vulnerable. It's time for the government to deliver the change that it promised.

On June 7, we’ll be sending a clear message: we need investment in services, decent pay and conditions, and a tax system where the wealthiest pay their fair share.

PCS members will be there with thousands of others, saying loud and clear, no to austerity, no to war.
FRAN HEATHCOTE

I’LL BE marching on June 7 and encourage as many people that can to take to the streets and show full opposition to the disgraceful, dangerous and cruel path this Labour government is taking.

As a healthcare worker, I continually find myself questioning this government’s priorities — a government that can always find money for bombs, death and destruction. This investment in Britain’s war machine could be used to make people’s lives better, by investing in the public sector and addressing the huge health inequalities we face.

As a learning disability nurse working on the front line, I am appalled to witness the proposed welfare reforms. The charity Scope’s analysis of government figures shows that without PIP, a further 700,000 disabled households could be pushed into poverty. These attacks on the welfare state set a dangerous precedent and are a world away from the politics of the labour party that founded the NHS.

Alongside my colleagues across the NHS, we recently received news of our annual pay award. By only offering nursing staff 3.6 per cent it is clear that this government has no intention of investing in the NHS and its staff and I urged all colleagues when balloted to reject this insulting deal. This deal is yet another real-terms pay cut and goes no way towards offering the pay restoration we are owed.

To all workers, reject bad deals, unite across sectors to show full solidarity, and take to the streets on June 7 to show this government that we will not accept its attacks on our pay and safety at work. 
HOLLY TURNER

I’M ATTENDING and speaking at the national demonstration on Saturday June 7 for No More Austerity because we are living under a system that shows complete disregard for human life — whether through brutal cuts at home or complicity in atrocities abroad.

As a British Palestinian, the connection couldn’t be clearer. The same political class enabling a genocide in Gaza is now imposing austerity here in Britain.

Thousands of Palestinians are being massacred with the backing of our leaders. At home, the Labour government under Keir Starmer is continuing austerity, cutting vital services and entrenching poverty.

This is not just about numbers on a spreadsheet; it’s about children going hungry, families without homes, and lives being destroyed.

The cruelty is consistent. They refused to back a ceasefire while slashing benefits. They ignore international law while telling us there’s “no money” for nurses, teachers or carers. This isn’t just moral failure—it’s political choice.

We’re marching to say: no more. No more genocide. No more cuts. No more excuses. Austerity fuels despair and division, giving rise to the far right. We need an alternative rooted in justice, dignity, and international solidarity.

The People’s Assembly brings us together to show that we are not alone, and we are not powerless. The callousness they show abroad is reflected in the callousness with which they treat people at home.
LEANNE MOHAMAD
 

Daniel Kebede is general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU).
Fran Heathcote is general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS).
Holly Turner is a nurse, a co-founder of @NurseSayNO and a member of the Strike Map steering committee.
Leanne Mohamad is community organiser and human rights campaigner.