Up and Coming: March 'will not change cuts plan'

Statue in Trafalgar Square, the day after the march

Signs of the protest are still evident in London

The government is listening to the trade unions but will not change its deficit-cutting strategy because of Saturday's march, Vince Cable has said.

The business secretary said the coalition was "one of the strongest governments" the country had ever had, dealing with a financial crisis.

The Trades Union Congress said between 250,000 and 500,000 people attended the march and rally in London against cuts.

They condemned violence which followed protests, leading to 201 arrests.

The coalition government aims to eliminate the deficit over four years through a combination of spending cuts and tax rises - Labour had planned to halve the deficit within four years, if they had won the election.

Liberal Democrat minister Mr Cable told BBC One's Politics Show "difficult choices" were having to be made, but the coalition government was "one of the strongest governments which this country has ever had, facing a major financial crisis".

He said making fewer cuts, or over a longer period would mean the government having to borrow more - something that had become "very difficult" because of what was happening in financial markets and in Europe.

He said deficit was being cut on a "sustainable basis".

"Of course there's pressure on living standards, the reason for that is we are now a poorer country, the GDP fell by over 5% in the financial crisis, now that was temporarily absorbed by government borrowing, that was not sustainable. It's now being felt by the public at large - it is painful and it is difficult."

Vince Cable said he was "pretty sure" the coalition would survive a no vote in the AV referendum

Mr Cable said the government was "listening" to the trade unions but added: "We're not going to change the basic economic strategy.

"No government - coalition, Labour or any other - would change its fundamental economic policy simply in response to a demonstration of that kind."

He acknowledged that there were disagreements within the coalition on some issues - including, as the Observer reports, unhappiness at some aspects of welfare reform - but such issues were usually dealt with in a "business-like way" through the coalition process.

And he said he was "pretty sure" the coalition would survive if the referendum on the alternative vote on 5 May resulted in a "no" vote.

The Conservatives offered the referendum as part of their coalition deal with the Lib Dems, who have long campaigned to change the UK voting system.

Mr Cable added: "We are a grown-up party, we have not thrown our toys out of the pram because things happen we disagree with. I think you will find the approach to this whole thing is a very mature one."

The BBC's John McManus was in Trafalgar Square as the clean-up operation got under way

Saturday's rally was largely peaceful but small groups attacked shops and banks and there were clashes between police and protesters in Trafalgar Square.

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said he "bitterly regretted" the violence but the activities of a few hundred people should not take the focus away from the hundreds of thousands of peaceful protesters.

He added that unions would step up pressure on MPs in their constituencies and begin a series of protests next week on plans for the NHS.

"Ministers should now seriously reconsider their whole strategy after [Saturday's] demonstration. This has been Middle Britain speaking."

Meanwhile Labour figures have defended party leader Ed Miliband over his speech to the rally on Saturday - there has been some criticism about his claim that the marchers came "in the tradition" of the suffragettes, the US civil rights movement and the anti-apartheid movement.

Shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy said: "Ed has said these were different causes at different times. The size of the demonstration yesterday was enormous and it was a reflection of the comparison of scale."

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