The first budget of the new Labour government is to face protests from the anti-monarchy group Republic on October 30th.

Republic are calling on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to cut the royal budget instead of public services during her budget announcement.

This comes just weeks after a groundbreaking new report detailed that the monarchy now costs taxpayers over half a billion pounds a year.

Republic will be staging protests outside parliament on the day of the budget.

Speaking for Republic, Graham Smith said today:

"Rachel Reeves has been saying she must take ‘tough decisions’ in her upcoming budget but if cuts are needed surely the monarchy is the place to start."

"Yet the cost of the monarchy has risen to half a billion pounds per year. The royal budget should be cut to the bone, not vital public services."

"Republic will be protesting in Westminster on budget day, calling on Rachel Reeves to cut the half billion royal budget. No ifs. No buts."

"How can we talk about cutting the winter fuel allowance while wasting half a billion pounds on the royals? How does the government defend this rhetoric of painful decisions when the royals cost us enough to pay 18,000 NHS nurses?."

"That’s why we’ll be protesting outside Parliament and across Westminster when Reeves announces her budget."

The report on the half billion cost of the monarchy is available here.