Tory Britain is becoming a disaster zone

Survival packs containing blankets, winter coats, hot water bottles and flasks.

Emergency shelters being opened for people to keep warm and eat hot food.

This might sound like the work of a charity in a disaster zone. But this is Scotland.

It’s how we’re trying to help our most vulnerable people with the deadly threat of a cost- of-living crisis.

Local councils are finding millions of pounds to hand out these survival packs and open up community centres and schools for people to keep warm. Some are giving out food vouchers and letting people into leisure centres free to have hot showers.

It’s all to be commended because, without their help, things would be much bleaker.

But does it really have to be this way? Prime Minister Liz Truss is slapping herself on the back with yesterday’s introduction of a £2500 energy price cap frozen for two years.

She said it stops prices heading to the £ 6000 mark, which was predicted.

Great – but the harsh reality is this new price cap is still a rise from a position where people were already struggling.

Pensioners, families on low incomes and benefits and those who need care at home are worried about how they’ll manage through winter.

Truss and her Tory cabinet have further lost their grip on how this crisis affects real people.

That became even clearer last week when they gave tax cuts to the rich but failed to commit to a promised rise in benefits to match inflation.

And not even a huge windfall tax in the energy firms making millions out of misery.

The out-of-control money markets and the crash in the pound was confirmation of what we’ve known for years – the Tories are getting it wrong.

Truss goes into a Tory party conference today as one of the most unpopular prime ministers ever and she’s not even been in the job a month. It can’t get much worse than this.

Her days are numbered – lets hope they run out before the spirit and care of Scots who are putting a sticking plaster on her policies.