The war in Ukraine is affecting electricity and gas prices in Western Europe. The British are particularly hard hit, where millions of households are likely to freeze in winter. According to the consumer portal Uswitch, six million customers are currently sitting on an average of 206 pounds in outstanding bills, which corresponds to 235 francs.
This number is likely to explode when the heating season begins and the state price cap for gas and electricity is massively increased in two stages in October and January 2023. According to the Cornwall Insight institute, the annual heating costs for a household will then increase to up to 4266 pounds (4870 francs). The Bank of England forecasts inflation of almost 14 percent, the highest in 40 years.
Gordon Brown (71), who was Prime Minister of the Labor Party from 2007 and 2010, is therefore black. In the Sunday newspaper “The Observer” he makes an urgent appeal to the government of Boris Johnson (58).
Brown warns: “A financial time bomb will explode for families in October, when a second round of fuel price hikes will send shockwaves through every household within six months and leave millions on the blade.”
If the ruling Conservative Tories did not immediately pass an emergency budget, they would “doom millions of vulnerable and innocent children and pensioners to a winter of deep poverty,” writes Brown.
Many are looking for free food
More and more Britons are dependent on help, meanwhile it also affects the middle class. Most households receive a one-time discount on energy costs of 200 pounds (228 francs), which they have to pay back within five years. They also get a one-off tax break of 150 pounds (171 francs), and households that are particularly affected receive further support.
The food banks, which give away free or discounted food, are in high demand. Food that does not need to be cooked is particularly in demand – so that you do not need expensive gas to prepare it.
The Independent Food Aid Network, which represents a quarter of all 2200 food banks, also warns of poverty, need and hunger. We are “deeply concerned about the extent of the suffering”.
the divide between rich and poor
There are several reasons why Great Britain is falling into poverty, some of which go back several years and are interlinked. It all started with the 2008 financial crisis, which the then Tory Prime Minister David Cameron (55) wanted to end with draconian austerity measures. However, this has widened the gap between rich and poor and contributed to the fact that the British voted to leave the EU in 2016.
Brexit further worsened the situation because there was a shortage of workers due to the loss of freedom of movement. Great Britain was hit particularly hard by the corona pandemic, where the financial losses due to the measures were large, but the health benefits were small.
Johnson before departure
And now the war in Ukraine and the associated halt in the supply of Russian gas are driving up heating prices in Europe. Brown, other politicians and the panels are calling on Boris Johnson to act. But he is only governing on the back burner, having announced his resignation under pressure from his own party.
The Conservatives have until September 2 to decide whether ex-Finance Minister Rishi Sunak (42) or Secretary of State Liz Truss (47) should succeed Johnson as prime minister. The legacy isn’t easy, and it’s about basic things: namely, whether people have to freeze and starve in one of the most developed countries in the world.