One in seven missing out on food amid rising cost of living, TUC poll reveals

Frances O’Grady has warned that the UK could see “Victorian” levels of poverty if workers’ pay does not increase after polling revealed that one in seven people are skipping meals or going without food amid the rising cost of living.

According to polling from the TUC, published today, more than two-fifths of Britons are having to reduce spending on food as a result of increasing costs – rising to six in ten in certain parliamentary constituencies.

Commenting on the findings, the TUC general secretary said: “No one should have to worry about putting food on the table or heating their homes. But millions of families are struggling to cover even the basics and now face huge uncertainty over their energy bills after the Chancellor said support may end in April.

“This polling lays bare Britain’s cost-of-living emergency. Food and energy bills are soaring, but real wages are plummeting. Unless we get pay rising across the economy – and ensure benefits rise in line with inflation – we risk heading towards Victorian levels of poverty.

“The Conservatives should be working with unions to help households get through this crisis. But they want to make it harder for working people to win better pay and conditions.”

The poll, carried out by Opinium, revealed that one in seven people across the UK are having to skip meals or go without food in the face of rising costs. In 47 constituencies, the figure was one in five or higher.

The research found that Birmingham Ladywood has the highest proportion of constituents missing out on meals at 29%, followed by Dundee West on 27% and Glasgow and Rhondda, both of which were on 24%.

The TUC highlighted that more than a fifth of residents are missing out on food in Cities of London and Westminster, the constituency in which Downing Street and parliament are located.

The poll found that the proportion of constituents cutting back on food spending varies considerably across the country – with six in ten people living in Bootle, Birmingham Ladywood and Liverpool Walton reducing their expenditure on food compared to three in ten in Richmond Park and Chelsea and Fulham.

The research also revealed that more than half of the population are cutting back on heating, hot water or electricity, with one in 12 of those polled reporting that they had missed payment on a household bill.

Jeremy Hunt announced on Monday that the government’s ‘energy price guarantee’ – intended to support households with rising energy bills – will end in April 2023. The scheme had initially been planned to last two years. The new Chancellor said the government will be launching a review to consider a “new approach”.

The TUC said the findings of its poll are a “stark reminder” of the cost pressures facing households across the UK and show the need for further action from ministers to increase wages and cut bills.

The union body is urging the government to stick to its plan to uprate Universal Credit, benefits and pensions in line with inflation and is calling for the increase to be brought forward to before April. It is also demanding that the government impose a “much higher” windfall tax on oil and gas companies.

The TUC is calling for key workers in the public sector to receive “cost-of-living proofed” pay rises and for the minimum wage to be raised to £15 per hour. It is urging the government to allow trade unions to negotiate pay rises across whole sectors in order to get pay rising.

Opinium conducted a poll of 10,495 adults from September 26th to 30th, designed to be representative of the national population. The results of the poll were analysed using a multilevel regression and post-stratification (MRP) approach to produce constituency-level estimates.