JOHN McDONNELL warned campaigners “we may be the last generation that can save the welfare state” at the launch of a major new anti-austerity campaign.

Appearing by video at the launch of the People’s Assembly’s Britain is Broken: We can’t afford the Tories tour on Wednesday night, the shadow chancellor reminded an audience of hundreds that the stakes were high.

“Every day brings new victims of universal credit, homelessness, of overstretched emergency services and councils that can no longer fund even a basic safety net," he said.

“We have a pressing need for us to do everything in our power to defend and extend the services on which our lives and livelihoods depend.”

Mr McDonnell said it was necessary that Labour members, trade unionists and community activists throw their energy into building an anti-austerity social movement.

“A Labour government will play its part — ours will be a Labour government committed to defending our NHS, education and welfare services," he said.

“Any progressive government can only succeed if it has a solid base of active support. We need every single one of you to be active in a mass movement against austerity — right now.

“In the future, every single one of us will be able to reverse austerity, and rebuild the social fabric of our society.”

Labour shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon, who attended the event, said: “Austerity is clearly not over for millions of people when people are in poverty while working, or attempting suicide when their benefits are cut.

“Only by working together with millions of people across the country will we actually change things.”

Other speakers included PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka, Labour parliamentary candidate Faiza Shaheen, TGI Friday’s striker Lauren Townsend and Green Party deputy leader Amelia Womack.

The launch of the campaign, which will now be toured nationally, coincided with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn writing to Prime Minister Theresa May to warn that rising poverty in Britain amounts to a “national emergency” and that government policies “shame our nation.”