The war in Ukraine is affecting electricity and gas prices in Western Europe. The British are particularly hard hit, with millions of families freezing in the winter. According to consumer portal Uswitch, six million customers currently owe an average of 206 pounds, which corresponds to 235 francs.
This figure is likely to explode when the heating season begins and the state price ceiling for gas and electricity will be raised drastically in two stages in October and January 2023. According to the Cornwall Insight Institute, annual heating costs for a family will increase by up to £4266 (4870 francs). The Bank of England predicts inflation will be around 14 percent, the highest it has been in 40 years.
So Gordon Brown (71), who was Labor Prime Minister in 2007 and 2010, is black. In the Sunday newspaper “The Observer” he judges An urgent appeal Boris Johnson to Govt (58).
Brown warns: “A financial time bomb will explode for families in October, with a second round of fuel price hikes sending shockwaves through every household within six months and leaving millions on the brink.”
If the ruling Conservative Tories do not pass an emergency budget immediately, they will “push millions of vulnerable and innocent children and pensioners into a winter of deep poverty,” writes Brown.
Many people are looking for free food
More and more Britons are relying on aid, meanwhile it is also affecting the middle class. Most households receive a one-off rebate of 200 pounds (228 francs) on energy costs, which they must repay within five years. They receive a one-off tax credit of 150 pounds (171 francs), and families particularly affected receive additional support.
Food banks, which provide food for free or at a discount, are in great demand. Food that doesn’t require cooking is especially in demand – you don’t need expensive gas to prepare it.
The Independent Food Aid Network, which represents a quarter of the 2200 food banks, also warns of poverty, need and hunger. We are deeply concerned about the level of suffering.
The divide between rich and poor
There are many reasons why Great Britain fell into poverty, some of which go back many years and are interconnected. It all started with the 2008 financial crisis, which then Tory Prime Minister David Cameron (55) wanted to end with severe austerity measures. However, it widened the gap between rich and poor and led to the British vote to leave the European Union in 2016.
Brexit worsened the situation, as the loss of freedom of movement led to a shortage of workers. Great Britain was particularly hard hit by the corona pandemic, where the financial losses from the measures were large, but the health benefits were small.
Johnson before departure
Now the war in Ukraine and the associated stoppage of Russian gas supplies are driving up heating prices in Europe. Brown, other politicians and groups are calling on Boris Johnson to act. But he announced his resignation under pressure from his own party and has been ruling only on the back burner.
The Conservatives have until September 2 to decide whether former finance minister Rishi Sunak, 42, or foreign minister Liz Truss, 47, will succeed Johnson as prime minister. The legacy isn’t easy, and it’s about fundamentals: namely, whether people should freeze and starve in one of the most developed countries in the world.
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