Hardship could tip millions into ‘default lockdown’
MILLIONS could face fuel poverty and be pushed back into “lockdown by default” by soaring energy and food prices, campaigners have warned.
They fear cost-of-living rises could leave the nation’s poorest with no spare cash for transport as they face the stark choice of heating their home or buying food.
Growing worry about fuel costs and threats to supplies have spurred calls for the UK to become more self-sufficient by building more nuclear stations and allowing fracking – a controversial process to extract underground gas.
Dennis Reed, director of campaign group Silvervoices, said: “An enormous number of people, not just older citizens but basically people on the edge of poverty everywhere, are really going to struggle.
“There is a fear people could be pushed back into a self-imposed lockdown by default.” Adam
Scorer of National Energy Action says an extra 500,000 households could go into fuel poverty this winter and that the situation will only get worse.
He said: “There are four million households in fuel poverty in the UK – these price rises may put another 500,000 on that.
“They live on a knife edge every winter.this winter is going to be even more extreme.
“People are going to go into the winter dreading it, not sure how to make their current budget work and expecting it to get even worse.”
Meanwhile, the Net Zero Scrutiny Group, led by Tory MP Craig Mackinlay, has warned green policies must not leave the public “poorer and colder”.
It said: “We are deeply concerned about the cost of Net Zero policies, in particular the burden they may place upon our poorest constituents.
“Urgent action is needed to protect consumers from rapidly rising electricity and gas bills.”