Britain's police and firefighters, repeatedly hailed as heroes in recent months for facing down extremists and rushing into burning buildings, have become the symbol of a new anti-austerity drive in the country.

Speaking before the march, the head of the national firefighters union said the government's spending policies and deregulation contributed to the June 14 inferno at Grenfell Tower in west London that killed at least 80 people.

Grenfell Tower is only the most recent tragedy to put Britain's emergency workers in the news.

Finance minister Philip Hammond is standing by the policy, saying Conservative-led governments have reduced the deficit by two-thirds while increasing employment and maintaining economic growth. But he said the cuts must continue because the government is still spending more than it takes in and the national debt stands at 1.7 trillion pounds ($2.2 trillion), or the equivalent of 62,000 pounds ($80,000) for every person in Britain.

In Britain, the emergency workers' own stories are being used to make the case for higher pay.

...