[2][3][4] In May 2010, the United Kingdom general election resulted in no political party achieving sufficient support to form a working majority government on their own.

[6] The austerity measures that they planned proved to be the toughest in the United Kingdom since the Second World War,[7] which saw cuts in welfare benefits, local government budgets, and an increase in taxes such as VAT.

Max Lawson, of the Robin Hood Tax Campaign, said: "If banks paid their fair share we could avoid the worst of the cuts and help those hit hardest by the financial crisis they did nothing to cause.

"[7][11] Dave Prentis, general secretary of UNISON, remarked that "These are ordinary families and working people, many with their children to send a strong message to David Cameron to halt the damaging cuts which are leading to the loss of tens of thousands of jobs and the closure of services including libraries and care homes.

[9] Claire Darke MBE resigned from the Liberal Democrat-Conservative coalition on Wolverhampton City Council in protest against the government's austerity measures, which she described as "ideologically driven" and harmful to local services.

In Manchester there was a protest of around 5000 people called by the TUC, UCU and the NUS against fees and cuts, billed as "a future that works" rally.

It has since attracted much controversy due to heavy-handed attempts to evict the students, staff and community members from the building, which resulted in multiple injuries and arrests.

[33] UK Uncut held protests in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets on 7 March, mainly around the Barclay's Bank headquarters in Canary Wharf.

"[34] According to protest organiser UK Uncut, "Around twenty people, all living or working in Tower Hamlets, occupied the foyer of Barclays HQ while startled bankers were directed out a side entrance.

Politicians, student leaders and trade union representatives, including Education Secretary Mike Russell, Labour Party's Des McNulty and Margaret Smith, of the Liberal Democrats addressed the protesters at the rally.

Several hundred people protested in Barker's Pool, Sheffield; the branch of John Lewis was damaged by rioters throwing smoke bombs and rocks.

[52][53][54] The Driving Standards Agency had recently announced that it was to launch a localised trial to determine whether delivering examiners from non-established test centres could help with growing pupil demand, starting in Warrington, Wiltshire, Ayrshire, Wales and Dumbarton.

Twenty-one arrests were made, as Occupy London activists marched from Piccadilly Circus to Panton House, the headquarters of international mining company Xstrata, where the highest paid CEO in the United Kingdom works.

Labour leader Ed Miliband spoke at the event, and gained controversial responses from the crowd when advocating that austerity was necessary, but the Conservative scale was aggressive.

Several guest speakers including high-profile political activists such as Russell Brand, Charlotte Church, Richard Coyle and Julie Hesmondhalgh, the People's Assembly's leader Sam Fairbairn, trade union leaders and politicians Diane Abbott Jeremy Corbyn, Caroline Lucas and Martin McGuinness attended the London crowd which walked from the Bank of England and Parliament Square.

Aside from being an Anti-austerity rally, both the renewal of Theresa May's premiership – three weeks after she secured a minority government in the snap election – and the Grenfell Tower fire featured highly on picket signs.

Labour Party politicians including Jeremy Corbyn, John McDonnell and Diane Abbott, Unite union general secretary Len McCluskey and journalist Owen Jones spoke at the event, with political musicians Shy FX, Wolf Alice and Sam Duckworth performing on the stage.

[90][91][92] Over thirty local and regional organisations (Including Bristol's Labour and Green parties; People's Assembly and regional trade union offices) supported the march and promoted the event through word of mouth and,[93][94] however a large array of street art advertising the event appeared around the city in the weeks leading up to the march, described as being "promoted in a typically Bristol fashion".

[97] The march coincided with the start of the 2017 Conservative Party Conference held in Manchester 1 October and- inline with the arguments of the Bristol demonstration- directly protests against the £70 million to be subtracted from the Belfast City Council's budget by 2021.

[106] Protesters were attracted by both the high-profile sell-offs of assets to private companies, notably Virgin Care and the financial pressure that has led to 100,000 unfilled job vacancies in the service and the recent crisis in the system over the winter.

[100][101][107] On 18 February a small protest in Chelmsford, Essex, happened in response to the merging of three local hospitals into a single trust, which protestors feared would impact on service, and general underfunding of the healthcare sector.

[116] On 17 October 2020, the People's Assembly plans nationwide demonstrations in protest of the government's handling of coronavirus and what the PAAA believe will be another wave of austerity.

[48] Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, speaking to Reuters news service, accused the Labour Party leadership of "whipping up people's fervour" and succumbing to "the worst kind of infantile opposition politics.

"[122] The education secretary Michael Gove said on BBC Radio 4's Today early on the morning of 26 March, "Of course people will feel a sense of disquiet, in some cases anger, at what they see happening, but the difficulty we have as the Government inheriting a terrible economic mess, is that we have to take steps to bring the public finances back into balance."

[12] Daniel Hannan, a journalist and the Conservative MEP for South East England, stated that the protesters "have decided to indulge their penchant for empty, futile, self-righteous indignation."

[124] During the May 2015 London protest which occurred in response to the Conservative victory in the 2015 election graffiti of "fuck tory scum" was spray painted on the memorial to the women of World War Two.

[126][127] Richard Youngs, writing for openDemocracy see this movement being birthed out of the global trend during the 2010s of protests of varying purposes taking place, broadly stating "invariably they emerge out of background grievances that fester for years – a slow decline in political freedoms, poor economic performance.

"[128] Others had noted how other left-wing causes prior to austerity, such as the 2009 protests against Israel's treatment of Palestinians, had trained up established activists in skills and techniques that were useful.

[130] Cammaerts points out from his research that for many participating in the anti-austerity marchers their presence there was out of a "common sense" resistance to austerity measured, rather than out of an ideological position.

[2] Journalist Ellie Mae O'Hagan noted how aggressive arrest tactics from the government led to many activists being demoralised and stopped engaging in political activities.