The Tories are sleepwalking us into a cost-of-living crisis

Weekly food bills are skyrocketing, inflation is reaching a generational high, and with rapidly rising energy and petrol prices taking hold, households in Swansea are starting to feel the squeeze.

It has already been a tough winter for the 5600 families in Gower who were hit by the Tories £1000 cut to universal credit. Now they are too preoccupied by scandal and infighting to step in as the cost-of-living crisis engulfs more households. 

Ballooning household energy bills have quickly become the most pressing aspect of the cost of living crisis.

Shockingly, In December Citizens Advice recorded a 100% increase in cases where people ran out of money to top up their prepayment meter compared to the same time last year. Now with the energy price cap set to increase in April, bills could soar by £700.

Analysis from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has found that this means households on low incomes will be spending on average 18% of their income after housing costs on energy bills. This would have a devastating impact, pulling around two million people into fuel poverty overnight.

This is clearly unsustainable, and something must be done to relieve the pressure on struggling households.

In January Labour proposed a cut to VAT on energy bills which could’ve saved families hundreds of pounds a year, but the Tories voted it down despite Boris Johnson promising to do so three times during and after the Brexit referendum campaign.

We could be providing targeted support to low-income households that puts money in the pockets of those most in need or spread the cost of supplier failures over 2-3 years.

Yet amidst this crisis the Tories are nowhere to be seen.

Working families deserve security, prosperity, and respect, but they aren’t getting it from the Tories.

If the UK Conservative Government is not interested in taking care of the people’s priorities, they should call an election and make way for a government who will.