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UK cost of living crisis shows no sign of abating

Saeed Pourreza
Press TV, London

The inflation rate in the UK has hit a 30-year high. With food and energy prices on the rise, 2022 is already shaping up to be a historic squeeze on the living standards of ordinary Britons.

Nearly 2.5 million people used a food bank in the United Kingdom last year. With inflation now the highest in three decades, charities are warning it’s only exacerbating an already dire situation:

Inflation rose by more than five percent in December last year, the highest in decades, putting a real squeeze on people’s finances.

The striking thing is just how fast prices are rising. Bread up by about 4.5 percent, margarine up by 27 percent. Apples by about a fifth, and eggs 5.4 percent. The same with other household staples. Put them together and you’re talking about a sharp rise in the cost of living.

And that’s just food. There have also been rises in the cost of transportation, clothing, and energy. Utility bills are expected to go up by 50 percent in spring, affecting some more than others.

Economists say the UK is facing a perfect storm of Covid, Brexit, and global supply shortages. The question now is whether the government’s proposed ways of mitigating the pressure on the people are enough.

These are just snap shots from across the country of a resurgence of poverty. And it looks like for many in the UK things are going to get worse before they might get better. 


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