‘Storm coming’: Britain in a mess as ruinous energy bills meet austerity
On the picket lines outside the port of Felixstowe there is a feeling breaking point has been reached. Against a soundtrack of Bob Marley’s Get up, Stand Up pumping out over speakers, all the talk among the throng of dockers outside Britain’s biggest container terminal is of wages failing to keep pace with soaring living costs.
“People have had enough,” says Donna Crichton, one of the many represented by the Unite union in the eight-day strike, which ended without resolution last week. The 41-year-old, who lives at home with her parents, says buying or renting a home is a pipe dream when living costs are going through the roof.
“It’s just not cost effective. Your food bill is just going up; doubled, if not trebled. Your electric bill has gone up. We have three adults in our house who all work and we still struggle to cover everything we need,” says Crichton.
Her experience is one repeated up and down the country, as families brace for the typical energy bill to jump to £3,546 a year from October – almost triple the level a year ago. With inflation above 10% for the first time since the 1980s, and forecast to reach 18% early next year, charities warn sky-high bills will plunge many into destitution this winter.
Some forecasters expect the typical energy bill to top £7,000 next year, in a crisis industry experts say is unlikely to end soon. Even before taking this into account, official figures show the real value of average pay in Britain is falling at the fastest annual rate in 20 years, as wage rises are eroded by inflation.
It is against this backdrop the next prime minister will be expected to launch fresh measures to soften the blow. However, charities and political opponents say there is little sign Liz Truss or Rishi
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