What our Government should be focusing on -
With time running out to update the universal credit payments system before the October rise, Boris Johnson, Sunak and Truss must this week agree an emergency budget. If they do not, parliament should be recalled to force them to do so. For if nothing is done before yet another fuel price rise hits in January, the fuel poor could rise to 39 million people in 15m households – 54% of the country, with big regional variations ranging from 48% in London to 60.8% in Wales and 62% in Scotland. In all, four in every five of our country’s lone parents, pensioners and large families will be in fuel poverty. The scale is such that the typical fuel bill alone will eat up one-third of the statutory pension. At the start of the pandemic, 40% of children could not afford what Loughborough University has calculated is needed for a decent standard of living. At a stroke in October, more than 50% of children – 7 million – will, I estimate, be in families that have to forgo material necessities.For the poorest 10% of families, food and fuel could take up the majority of weekly outlays after housing costs.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/06/fuel-poverty-is-creating-a-left-out-generation-that-will-never-recover-from-the-scars
I'm done reading nonsense about cake portraying Johnson as some kind of tragic victim. If he were a decent leader for ALL the country he'd use these last few weeks to push for support for vulnerable people. Instead he's faffed around with planes, parties and holidays.