One in 7 Britons skipping meals in cost of living crisis, says TUC
One in seven people in the UK are skipping meals or going without food, according to new polling data released by the Trades Union Congress (TUC).
The data from an MRP poll by Opinium reveals that more than half of British people are cutting back on heating, hot water and electricity in the cost of living squeeze, and one in 12 have missed the payment of a household bill.
With inflation running at 10%, the polling found that one in seven people are skipping meals but that rises to one in five people in nearly 50 constituencies across the country.
It reveals that Birmingham Ladywood is the constituency with the highest number of people going without food, at 29%, followed by Dundee West at 27%, Glasgow at 24% and Rhondda at 24%.
The proportion of people across the UK skipping meals is the same for people in and out of work at 14%, while about 44% say they are having to cut back on food spending.
The TUC says the findings on the cost of living are a “stark reminder” of the pressures facing households throughout the UK. It calls for the government to stick to plans to uprate universal credit, benefits and pensions in line with inflation, increase public sector pay in line with inflation, and raise the minimum wage to £15 an hour as soon as possible.
It says the poll reveals that nearly seven in 10 people in the UK back raising the minimum wage to £15 an hour.
Frances O’Grady, the TUC general secretary, said: “This polling lays bare Britain’s cost of living emergency. Food and energy bills are soaring, but real wages are plummeting.
“Unless we get pay rising across the economy – and ensure benefits rise in line with inflation – we risk heading towards Victorian levels of poverty.
“The Conservatives should be working with unions to
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