Thomas Cook employees are planning a protest outside Downing Street, Sky News has learned.

Former cabin crew member Julie Burns, who found out she had lost her job as her final flight landed, says about 150 employees will march through Westminster on 2 October.

Organisers are drumming up support through the Facebook group Thomas Cook UK Family, which has more than 2,000 members.

Demonstrators will be wearing their full uniform and will be calling for an investigation into how the company was allowed to collapse.

Ms Burns told Sky News: “Something has to be done to look into why a household name was able to disappear out of the sky.

“We want answers from the government. The prime minister is going to listen to us.”

Some employees say they are not able to make the protest as they cannot afford the transport costs.

Unite, a union that represents some Thomas Cook employees, has also said it will be holding a protest in Manchester on 30 September.

This comes as the business, energy and industrial strategy (BEIS) committee announced it would be launching an inquiry into Thomas Cook.

It will look into the company’s accounting practices, the role of auditors, executive pay, and management.

Labour MP Rachel Reeves, who chairs the committee, wrote to Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom calling for an investigation into “aggressive” accounting practices at the company.

She said: “The collapse of Thomas Cook has uncovered what appears to be a sorry tale of corporate greed, raising serious questions about the actions of Thomas Cook’s bosses and their stewardship of the business.

“This latest corporate failure has shone a light once again on the use of aggressive accounting methods to aid bumper payouts to company executives and the apparent inability of auditors and regulators to curb these practices in the wider interests of shareholders, investors, and the public.”

Speaking in the Commons on Wednesday, Ms Reeves said £20m in bonuses had been paid to Thomas Cook’s directors over the last five years.

Thomas Cook collapsed after it failed to secure an extra £200m needed to keep it afloat.

The group employed 21,000 people in 16 countries, operating 105 aircraft and 200 own-brand hotels and resorts.

It also had 550 stores in the UK, many of which were loss-making.

Earlier this year, it admitted it had debts of £1.6bn with an annual interest payment on that debt of £150m.

Ms Burns, 53, said earlier this week she had “sobbed and sobbed” after hearing the news and was not sure if she ever wanted to fly again.

She says she has been to a job centre to seek work but has not been given a meeting until 7 October.

“I’m sat here wondering where my next penny is coming from,” she said.

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