Inflation in the UK rose to 9%, the highest level in nearly 40 years, and with it, the cost of living soared.
According to the British “Guardian” report on May 18, British families are struggling to cope with their own energy bills and are “seeking shelter” at the local McDonald’s fast food restaurant, “stressed” parents take their children to spend the night at McDonald’s , not only with free heating and WiFi, but also used it as an emergency kitchen, bathroom and living room.
British charities say some Britons are doing “well beyond the normal scope of home energy savings” to save on energy bills, and what they need now is government assistance. Some anti-poverty activists also called for the government to help grassroots people to deal with inflation, and targeted the British Chancellor of the Exchequer.
“People spend a few pounds on McDonald’s Happy Meals to keep them warm indoors, then they wash and brush their teeth in the sink and watch video shows for hours on free WiFi.” Fuel Bank Foundation ) was introduced by Matthew Cole.
Life is tough for Cole’s UK Fuel Bank Foundation, which tries to help households struggling financially with soaring inflation with their spending bills. Some parents took their children to leisure centres to rub showers instead of swimming, and residents even risked fires in their homes by burning their own furniture or wooden pallets to use as fuel for heating.
“Fuel shortages are rarely a single issue, and if you’re trying to find a way to keep your heat, you’re probably also worrying about food and clothing shortages,” Cole said of the amount his foundation received in the first quarter of this year. Inquiries were up 74% from last year.
Jo Gilbert, chief executive of Cubes, a charity specialising in energy consultancy, told the Guardian: “In fact, we have used far more than normal. Home energy-saving tips to dramatically limit bill increases, and what people need now is government assistance.”
The UK’s consumer price index (CPI) soared 9% year-on-year in April, the fastest growth rate since 1982. This figure has jumped “two steps” from the 7% year-on-year increase in March.
According to external analysis, the current round of inflation in the UK is mainly affected by the new crown epidemic and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. In the future, there is still the possibility of continued inflation in the UK. Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey even called the prospect facing consumers “the end of the world”.
British media such as Archyde.com and Sky News pointed out that in the face of the current high inflation, two-thirds of Britons choose to “turn off the heating”, nearly half of them choose to “reduce driving” or replace supermarket shopping, and more than a quarter of the public Said they would “eat less” or even skip it.
Russia Today (RT), citing an analysis by the Resolution Foundation, a British think tank, said the inflation rate of the poorest 10% of households in the UK was 10.2%, significantly higher than the 8.7% of the richest 10% of households.
“Inflationary pressures are likely to continue to build this year as higher energy prices continue to hit the wallets of businesses and consumers,” the think tank’s senior economist Jack Leslie warned on May 18.
The Bank of England expects inflation in the UK to exceed 10% this year due to rising energy prices and other factors. “It’s going to get bad before it gets better,” Paul Dales, chief UK economist at consultancy Cpaital Economics, said of the April data.
At present, some anti-poverty activists have begun to call on the government to take action to improve welfare, indicating that people at the bottom should deal with inflation. Others took aim at Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak.
“As the prices of necessities like food and energy continue to soar, the chancellor’s inaction will make an already desperate situation worse for many.” The Joseph Rowntree Foundation, which works for low-income families Rebecca McDonald, senior economist at .