Families are scrimping, saving and struggling in cost of living crisis
Working class voters lean towards Liz Truss as the leader who could do more for ‘the people like us’
Leon had long planned to “take things a little bit easier” this year having recently retired after 39 years as an NHS paramedic. But his plans have had to change.
In recent months the 56-year-old’s grocery costs have risen by up to £150 per month, while gas and electricity bills have “doubled in price”. As a result, he has taken a 20-hour-a-week job delivering medicines for a chemist.
“I’ve done 39 years in the health service, I’ve been through the virus, and I’ve worked every other weekend; nights ... I planned to just take things a little bit easier,” he said. “Unfortunately things change, but you adapt to circumstances don’t you?”
Leon, who lives in Oldham, Greater Manchester, was speaking as part of a focus group of working class voters convened last week for The Sunday
Telegraph by Public First, a polling firm that has carried out work for Downing Street.
Despite his matter-of-fact approach to the immediate change in his retirement plans, like every other member of the group Leon’s deepest concern was saved for the “perfect storm” expected to hit in the autumn, as the weather turns colder and the energy price cap is expected to rise to more than £3,000 per year.
The issue is likely to dominate the early months, or possibly the entirety, of the next prime minister’s time in Downing Street. Liz Truss has promised an emergency budget to tackle the crisis while Rishi Sunak has also insisted he will “grip” the issue.
Among the eight members of the focus group, all of whom voted for the Conservatives in 2019, Ms Truss was seen as the candidate more “for people like us”, with the former non-dom status of Mr Sunak’s wife apparently contributing to a perception that the former chancellor is more out of touch.
The extent to which the crisis is escalating is laid bare today in polling by Public First that shows almost two thirds of people are already finding it difficult or impossible to pay energy bills, rising to 71 per cent among working class voters.
Tracy, a housing officer from the West Midlands, said: “I’ve noticed the price of milk. We use semi-skimmed, but my two-year-old granddaughter, who lives with us, is lactose [intolerant]. Her dairy-free products are going up by a ridiculous amount. We are probably spending double now than what we were spending before.”
A piece of lactose-free cheese smaller than a £5 note is now £3.59 for “the tiniest little block” which lasts about three days.
Kerrie, a school receptionist from Manchester, said she had particularly noticed an increase in fresh produce such as fruit, vegetables and fish.
Supermarket reductions that previously brought items down to 99p are now £1.30 “and it’s costing probably about 30 to 40 per cent more each week on a food shop”.
“I have to do the tour of the supermarkets to try and find the best deal but then obviously, petrol has gone up as well,” she adds. “So it’s a bit of a vicious circle really.”
Ben, a father of two from Gomersal, West Yorks, who works in IT, says: “The general food shop is going up a lot ... by around £40 a week. Utility bills are going up astronomically as well as fuel costs for our cars. Everything seems to be going up.”
Sonny, who works for a ship repair firm in Portsmouth, said: “My gas and electric [bill] has gone up from £100 a month to £180 a month. I’ll have to work more, and just watch the pennies a bit more.” Sonny is now working six days per week, meaning he spends less time with his wife and child.
“Instead of having the whole weekend together, we just make a plan for a Sunday instead.”
He and Leon are far from alone in taking on extra work to cope with rising costs, or planning to do so by the autumn.
“I’m doing some private tuition on the side of my main job, because that’s a good way of getting a little bit of extra income,” said Katie, a 28-year-old teacher in East Anglia.
Jo, a freelancer from Bradford, said: “I’m working seven days a week now. I find that I haven’t got enough money to do what I did before, so the more hours I take it sort of balances out just a little bit. If [the cost of living] goes up any more, I’ll probably end up either working more or not being able to balance things out.”
Kerrie, the receptionist from Manchester, said: “I only work part time as I have a health condition and it would be too difficult for me to work full time. But [we’re] trying to sell things on eBay that we don’t use so much, or just generate any little bit of extra income that we can.”
Ben was “confident that I can get through it and survive”. But, he added, “I don’t feel happy about it.” He and his wife are “spending less on luxuries, like eating out and things like that. So before inflation got out of control, we had more disposable income to go out and do nice things. Now it’s less frequent”. Jos, a mobile cleaning supervisor from Portsmouth said she “rarely got luxuries anyway”, but has also been selling belongings “to make ends meet”. She added: “I try to go to places like friends’ houses where I can just take some beers with me, rather than spending money out.”
Tracy, the housing officer from the West Midlands, said: “I’ve actually switched the whole of my heating off and got rid of the tumble dryer as well ... I made a bit of money from it. I’m charging my phone at work as well.” Whereas previously she helped her daughter with gas and electricity bills, “now I haven’t got that extra money”. Instead her daughter and grandson are “having meals here with us” to save her some money.
In a separate focus group of middle class voters, several were yet to significantly feel the impact of the rise in the cost of living, although most were being more careful about the products they bought and where they shopped. Steve, 66, who has been retired for a decade, says: “My shopping is much wiser now. I go to different supermarkets, and if there’s something you want to buy, you can [search online to] see what supermarket has got the cheapest price of that product.” Michael, 37, a technical research analyst from Watford, Herts., says: “We buy the same sort of things most weeks, and the cost has noticeably increased at the till ... [by] between 10 to 15 per cent.”
Together with Steve, Mark, 68, from Barnet in north London, and Katie, a 53-year-old commercial manager from Cheadle, Cheshire said they were supporting grown-up children.
Mark said he was helping one of his sons, in his mid-30s, while Steve said: “I have three daughters who have left home, they’ve all got mortgages … I’ve got three grandchildren. They were struggling before all this happened and I’m not sure how they’re going to survive the winter.”
Natasha, a 30-year-old teacher from Reading responded: “I think I’m probably in their sort of position. I had a change in circumstances at the beginning of the year. I had to sell the house I had with my ex-partner and have now bought on my own. It’s a
‘Ministers need to look at the energy suppliers, because they all seem to be taking a nice big share away there’
struggle having a mortgage and all the bills by myself.
“I had quite an expensive gym membership. That’s had to end this month because it’s just not a necessity now.”
In both groups, there was anger at what was described by some as the “greed” of energy companies making significant profits amid the crisis.
Kerrie, the receptionist from Manchester, said ministers “need to look at the likes of the energy suppliers ... because they all seem to be taking a nice big share away there. Their profits are significantly higher.
“As much as the costs of oil and fuel and things are going up, I’m pretty sure they can afford to take less of a margin. Everyday people are having to choose between food and heating.”
Ben agreed, saying: “The energy companies are making record profits. There should be some form of windfall tax to be passed on.”
Jo, the freelancer from Bradford, said: “I’m with E.ON and they’ve got 100 per cent electricity that’s renewable. So I don’t understand why that’s gone up because the Sun hasn’t charged any more for energy.”
Members of the working class group suggested they would be unlikely to take part in the growing campaign for people to boycott energy bills in the autumn. There was concern about the risk of supplies simply being cut off.
“Given the fact that there’s a child in the household, and that I have a health condition, I wouldn’t be not paying my bills, to risk not having electricity and gas,” said Kerrie. “Up until the point that I physically cannot afford to pay it, I do believe that I will be paying it.”
There was, however, no consensus on how the Government could help. Several said tax cuts were needed.
Leon, the former paramedic, said the income tax personal allowance should be increased from its current level of £12,570 – frozen by Mr Sunak.
Ben agreed, saying: “What was a good wage two or three years ago is probably just an average wage now, because the personal allowance has been frozen, and the cost of living has gone up significantly.”
“Whatever the solution,” said Sonny, “I think it’s the Government’s responsibility to help us.”
Five of the eight members of the working class group said they were leaning towards Ms Truss, when asked for their preference between the Foreign Secretary and Mr Sunak.
“I do like Liz Truss as a candidate. I think she’s more for people like us – not people with a silver spoon in their mouth,” said Leon.
“I know she came from a comprehensive school, and she works very hard. And I think she probably would do a good job. If she does a good job I will vote Conservative.
“It’s a very difficult situation for anyone to be in at the moment. But I do think she will fight harder for people like us than Rishi Sunak.”
Tracy said: “I would look at voting for Liz Truss. I lost all faith in Rishi Sunak with everything that happened with his wife and the taxes. If a working person has to pay tax then why shouldn’t his wife?” Kerrie said Ms Truss would “probably put more money in your pocket immediately”.
But Sonny said he had “lost faith” in the Conservatives. “I honestly wouldn’t know who to vote for if there was an election now,” he said. “It has been Conservative for the last two elections. But unless there’s a dramatic improvement in our economy, and in the cost of living, they certainly wouldn’t be getting my vote.”