The UK is facing two lost decades for living standards
Real wages will still be below 2008 levels in 2025.
ByCost of Living Crisis
The ‘cost of living’ refers to the price of things around the world and how much money people have to spend on essentials. The ‘cost of living crisis’ refers to the fall in ‘real’ disposable income that the UK has experienced since late 2021, which is making it difficult for people to afford food, fuel and basic household items. This crisis is being caused predominantly by high inflation outstripping increases in wages and benefits, and has been further exacerbated by recent tax and energy price increases. Read more about the cost of living crisis here.
How inflation is surging ahead of benefits
Prices are set to rise by 7.4 per cent this year but Universal Credit will rise by just 3.1 per…
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Rishi Sunak ignored the easiest way to help the poorest
The Chancellor’s refusal to raise Universal Credit shows he has returned to his ideological comfort zone.
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Rishi Sunak could stop the living standards squeeze if he wanted to
The government's deference to the market is transforming inflation into a full-blown crisis.
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Spring Statement: Sunak prepares the platitudes
The Chancellor may not want to cut taxes but that is what he seems obliged to do.
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“A KitKat is now a luxury”: the looming death of disposable income
Prices are spiralling, limiting the spending choices of Britons across the country to the bare essentials.
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Green policies must be prioritised to protect Britain’s food security
Soaring global food prices should speed support for sustainable, high-welfare British farming – not the further onslaught of corporate-heavy Big…
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Why the Tories can’t blame the Ukraine war for the living standards crisis
Households were already facing the biggest squeeze in 70 years before Russia invaded Ukraine.
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How UK gas prices have surged to a record high
If prices remain this high, the energy price cap for consumers could increase to more than £3,000 a year.
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The war in Ukraine will deepen the UK’s cost-of-living crisis
Gas, petrol and food prices will squeeze households even further after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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Boris Johnson’s promise of “a high-wage economy” has become a cruel joke
Far from encouraging workers to seek higher pay, the government is now telling them to accept lower pay.
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The battle for Britain’s vanishing food markets intensifies as the cost of living soars
As the cost of basic food rises in 2022, traditional “bread and butter” markets are in decline.
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Why inflation and the cost-of-living crisis won’t take us back to the 1970s
Surging energy prices force us to confront the suffering caused by inflation and our uncertain future. But a new wage-price…
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Rishi Sunak’s help comes far too late for Britain’s fuel poor
Ahead of the energy price cap rising, people and businesses are already struggling to keep the lights on.
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Your best ally against injustice? Terry Pratchett
Jack Monroe’s use of the character Sam Vimes in a critique of cost-of-living statistics shows the enduring power of the…
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Why the cost of living has increased more than the ONS says
While the median price of goods has changed slightly, many budget items have doubled in price.
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I voted for this government, but it’s created a cost of living crisis
From housing to national insurance, the Conservatives are failing voters.
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Tory MPs and Labour want to cut VAT on domestic fuel – they’re wrong
Cutting taxes on fuel would be inconsistent with any serious attempt to lower carbon emissions.
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Exclusive: over three-quarters of British voters notice their food shops are pricier
The cost-of-living crisis bites as polling for the New Statesman by Redfield & Wilton Strategies reveals the overwhelming experience of…
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