Living costs dampen support for sanctions

PUBLIC support for Russian sanctions is falling as the cost-of-living crisis starts to bite, a poll has found.

The proportion of people who would accept higher fuel prices as a result of tough Western sanctions against Moscow fell 14 points in a month, from 50 per cent in March to 36 per cent this week.

Global energy and fuel prices have soared since the beginning of the year and remain high owing to uncertainty over the war in Ukraine and Russian supply.

Ministers have said that sanctions on

Moscow will have a knock-on effect on the cost of living.

A poll by Redfield and Wilton Strategies for The Sunday Telegraph found that 54 per cent of people believe their financial situation has deteriorated in the past year, up from 42 per cent two months ago, while 62 per cent think it will worsen still in the year to come.

Respondents were asked about their financial situation on Wednesday, the day that inflation reached 7 per cent year-on-year.

Less than a third of the public said they had received a pay rise in response to inflation, while two thirds of those who had said that it was not enough to counter the increasing cost of living.

The figures suggest the public’s concern for the war in Ukraine may now be outweighed by financial worries.

A third of respondents said they would be happy to pay more for food if it would help Ukraine in its fight against Russia, while a third said they would not.

Shortly after the invasion Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary, said Britain would take an “economic hit” because of sanctions on Russia, but said it would be “far worse” to allow Vladimir Putin to take control in Ukraine.

“The pain that we will face in the United Kingdom is nothing like the pain people in Ukraine are currently facing,” she said.