Skint families plead with PM: 'Cost of living isn't a crisis - it's the new normal'

As the new Prime Minister gathered his cabinet in Downing Street for the first time on July 21, Andy Burnham made a pledge to the British people. His would be a “cost-of-living government”, he said. “What can we do just to take that little bit of pressure off people’s shoulders?” the new MP for Makerfield asked his top team. “That’s the mission that we’ve got to set ourselves together.” On Tuesday morning – two weeks ahead of the Burnham government’s first budget – Paul Ridley and Laura Morgans will arrive at Parliament, among 200 people living with the sharpest effects of the crisis, determined to hold the Chancellor’s feet to the fire. To make the journey to London from his home in Milton Keynes, Paul will need to leave his adult son Keith – who has autism and epilepsy, and is non-verbal – in respite care. “I’m going to make a speech at the Cost of Living Action (COLA) rally,” Paul, 61, says. “And I will be doing it for Keith. I’m going to talk about the nights I spend worrying about our family’s finances. Keith is non-verbal but he can pick up on what you feel, no matter how hard you try to hide it, and it changes his behaviour. The more stressed we are, the more meltdowns.” He adds: “I love caring, and I love being a carer, but being an unpaid carer can be a nightmare. I have had to go without food. When I was a child my parents had the electric cut off during winter, so I’ll do anything that puts the bills and my family first. I lost so much weight at one point in our battle for support that people thought I had cancer. I’ve had alopecia three times, and two heart attacks with stress.” Laura, 43, will be travelling to London from the Rhondda valley in South Wales with her 16-year-old daughter, Lily, who is a campaigner with the Save the Children Youth Panel. “They call it a cost-of-living crisis, but a crisis feels like it should be short-term,” Laura says. “We’re all having to make even more cutbacks. When the kids go to their dad’s, I go cold. I can’t put the heating on. For a long time I was a single mum, so I’ve had to be very inventive. I run my own business re-selling clothes. My daughter went to prom in a 50p dress and she looked amazing. But even now with two wages, we still struggle.” On Tuesday, Paul and Laura will be among hundreds who will meet their MPs in Parliament, before gathering in Parliament Square with a giant receipt representing the cost of the crisis. The day of action comes as new polling from Survation, commissioned by COLA, reveals that more than six in ten people (62%) want tackling the cost of living to be the government's priority for any additional spending in the Autumn Budget. Only 16% said extra spending should go to defence, while just 15% said it should fund tax cuts. COLA is calling for a Budget that brings down energy and housing costs, raises incomes through wages and social security, and rebalances the tax system with more and better taxes on wealth. Paul had to leave work to care for Keith after his wife suffered a slipped disc. Keith was 16 then, and is now 37. “I don’t get anything for caring for Keith,” he says. “Even though his assessment says he has to have 2:1 care, only one person can get Carers’ Allowance – even though Universal Credit recognises me as a carer.” Like all disabled families, they face significant extra costs. “Keith’s autism means he only eats certain foods and they can be more expensive,” Paul says. “I used to be able to get around five bags of shopping for £90-£100 for four of us. Now it’s just three bags. I used to be a chef, so I’m good at leftovers, but it still doesn’t stretch. “We’re on a card meter for electricity and gas, which is the most expensive tariff. We need the washing machine on four or five times a day because Keith’s incontinent. The fuel crisis is happening globally but for us it means Keith’s transport costs could go up and then he could be stuck at home which makes him depressed. “I’d like to see a social tariff for energy. But my main message is that politicians need to talk more to the people going through this. I lost my father to suicide, and that’s one of the things that keeps me here today, even though I’ve been right down at the bottom. And I’ve got a great wife behind me. Others are not so lucky.” Laura Morgans is also asking politicians to listen. “Politicians get to make the decisions, but do they know what it’s like not to have any money and to try to raise a family?” Laura asks. “That’s why we are using our voices to explain what we actually need. So they aren’t making big, powerful decisions based on assumptions. “My daughter’s trainfare to college is £50 a week. We are a tiny bit over the limit for getting help with transport because we have two people earning. I shouldn’t have to struggle so much for my daughter to have an education. Even at Lidl I’m always thinking, ‘what do I need to put back?’ It’s £2 a litre for diesel and my partner has to drive to work. This has been going on so long.” A spokesperson for HM Treasury says: "We know families are feeling the impact of higher prices, pushed up by conflicts overseas. "The Chancellor is focused on giving households and businesses a bit of breathing space where we can. That's why we have removed VAT from electricity bills, capped bus fares in England at £2 in 2027, extended the 5p fuel duty cut, and frozen rail fares and prescription charges." This week, Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch unveiled her own economic plan in Birmingham. Under a future Tory government, she said, no-one will pay inheritance tax on their family home – and couples will also be able to leave an additional £1 million tax-free to their children. It’s hard to see how many people this will help in the Rhondda. “So many people where we live are unable to get mortgages, this feels irrelevant to us,” Laura says. “The focus should be on affordable housing. We need to strip back to basics and ensure that everyone has food, warmth, clothing and a home. Basic things that mean feeling safe.” Paul agrees. “It definitely does not do anything for me,” he says. “It’s not going to help with the food prices. I would happily meet Kemi Badenoch to tell her how the cost of living crisis is affecting our family.” Paul previously had the chance to speak to Andy Burnham and Housing and Communities Secretary Angela Rayner about the struggles carers face. “Angela Rayner seemed to understand as she’s been a carer herself, and she has a disabled son,” he says. “The sense I got, is that the PM is genuine, and genuinely wants to help. He told me that he could see that when his mum was caring for his dad, how hard it was. It’s whether he can get his policies through.” Conor O’Shea, COLA coordinator, sums it up another way. “People are heading into another painful winter, and they can’t wait any longer for real action on the cost of living - that's the message we'll be delivering to MPs,” he says. “This Budget is the chance to give us a future we can actually afford.”