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Labour Leader Calls For ‘credible Plan’ To Deal With Cost-of-living Crisis Original Video M218133
Overwhelmed food banks are unable to cope with unprecedented demand and are being forced to turn away families in need as more people are falling into hardship due to the UK’s cost of living crisis.
Several managers told The Independent that they were forced to have a “painful” discussion about caps on the number of people they can help as they ran out of food this summer.
The Independent Food Aid Network (Ifan), a network of 550 groups across Britain, said the safety net was “crumbling” because of the ongoing rise in the number seeking support, with empty shelves increasingly widespread.
The Trussell Trust – which runs a network of more than 1,300 food banks – said “many” of its outlets had been hit by shortages as demand rises.
A coalition of 70 charities urged Tory leadership contenders – Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak – to more than double the level of emergency support to low-income families in order to avert a “catastrophe” this winter, while Labour joined the Liberal Democrats in calling for the energy price cap to be frozen.
Rail fare increase in England will be below inflation rate, says government
An expected increase to rail fares in England will be less than July’s retail price index to help commuters cope with the cost-of-living crisis, said the government.
The price rise, which will come into effect next year, will be lower than the rate of inflation, according to BBC News and The Times.
The amount rail fares increase each year is calculated by the previous July’s retail price index (RPI). Ahead of the rate for 2023 being announced on Wednesday, the Department of Transport (DfT) confirmed to the BBC it would not be increasing fares as much as the July RPI figure.
A DfT spokesperson said the increase, which usually comes in effect in January, will be delayed until March in a bid “to help struggling households”.
Namita Singh15 August 2022 05:54
Keir Starmer unveils £29bn Labour plan to freeze energy price cap
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has unveiled his plan to freeze the energy price cap, vowing that his party “wouldn’t let people pay a penny more” on their gas and electricity bills this winter.
Halting price rises in both October and January would save the typical family £1,000 and keep inflation under control during the cost of living crisis, according to Labour.
Sir Keir said his “fully-funded” £29bn plan to keep the cap at current levels throughout the winter would partly be covered by expanding the windfall tax imposed on oil and gas giants.
“Britain’s cost of living crisis is getting worse, leaving people scared about how they’ll get through the winter,” he said. “This is a national emergency. It needs strong leadership and urgent action.”
Read the details in this report:
Keir Starmer unveils £29bn Labour plan to freeze energy price cap
Labour wouldn’t let people ‘pay a penny more’ in October and January, says Starmer
Namita Singh15 August 2022 05:31
Tory members prefer Johnson to Truss and Sunak, finds poll
A large majority of Conservative Party members still prefer Boris Johnson over Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss, according to a new poll.
The latest Opinium survey shows that Ms Truss has a healthy lead over Mr Sunak in the Tory leadership race, ahead 61 per cent to 39 per cent among Tory members.
But the poll shows signs of regret at the PM’s political demise over the Partygate scandal, and an apparent lack of enthusiasm for either of his would-be successors.
Tory members prefer Boris Johnson to Truss and Sunak, poll finds
Signs of ‘Johnson nostalgia’ among both party members and 2019 Tory voters
Namita Singh15 August 2022 05:18
‘Overwhelmed’ food banks forced to turn people away
Food banks are running out of supplies amid an “overwhelming” surge of new people falling into hardship during the cost of living crisis, with some charities forced to turn away families in need.
Several managers told The Independent they had run out of food this summer, with some reducing the size of parcels and having “painful” conversations about whether to cap the number of people they can help.
The Independent Food Aid Network (Ifan), a network of 550 groups across Britain, said the safety net was “crumbling” because of the ongoing rise in the number seeking support, with empty shelves increasingly widespread.
Read the details in this exclusive from my colleague Adam Forrest:
‘Overwhelmed’ food banks forced to turn people away after running out of food
Exclusive: Demand for help now fast outstripping supply, say charities hit by empty shelves
Namita Singh15 August 2022 05:11
Welcome to The Independent’s UK politics live blog for 15 August 2022.
Namita Singh15 August 2022 04:38
