A PROTEST has been held in Southend High Street as residents and councillors call for a general election.

The march was held this morning at 10:30am by Southend Odeon in the High Street.

A number of organisers and councillors gave a speech explaining why there should be a general election after Prime Minister Liz Truss resigned on Thursday, just 44 days into her role.

Echo: Protest - Calls for general electionProtest - Calls for general election (Image: Newsquest)

A new Prime Minister is expected to be announced by the end of next week and it will be the second Conservative Party leadership election this year.

There isn’t due to be another general election until at least 2024, after a landslide majority was won by the Conservatives in 2019.

However, calls are mounting after Liz Truss’ resignation and yet another leadership election.

Aston Line, Southend Labour Councillor, said: “Today has been organised as this is a demanding and immediate call for a general election.

Echo: Protest - Signs Protest - Signs (Image: Newsquest)

“Truss’ successor will now be the third Prime Minister since the public last had their say and we don’t think that is acceptable in any way shape or form.

“This isn’t democracy, this is a disgrace.

“We are in this terrible situation where Liz Truss, Prime Minister for 44 days, managed to tank the pound, crash the economy, send mortgages through the roof, and if not for the intervention of the Bank of England, pensions would have ben down the drain as well.

“So, the situation is totally untenable, and we don’t that an unelected change of leadership at the top is acceptable.

“Today is a good turnout, it is not a party, pollical thing, there are people representing right across the political spectrum today.”

Organisers Keri Jarvis, and Keira Sussex, are both from All Rise Collective, which is a group that runs community care banks in Southend.

Echo: Protest - Organisers Keri Jarvis and Keira SussexProtest - Organisers Keri Jarvis and Keira Sussex (Image: Newsquest)Keri said: “This cannot go on; it is a choice to have austerity in this way.

“We are choosing to buy rich people more yachts, rather than feeding our children.

“Parents are going to bed, devastated and scared.

“It is unacceptable, it isn’t a world we want to live in and we want a general election now.”

Keira added: “It is a fight for democracy as well, we cannot have another Tory leader put in place by the Tories again, who we haven’t chosen.

“We want to give people a voice and this is what we are doing today.

“If you don’t start speaking up, other people don’t know they can’t start speaking up. “