Updated · Morning Star | The People’s Daily · Aug 10
Burnham Targets Consumer Rip-offs as 7.4 Million UK Families Cannot Afford Essentials
Updated
Updated · Morning Star | The People’s Daily · Aug 10
Burnham Targets Consumer Rip-offs as 7.4 Million UK Families Cannot Afford Essentials
3 articles · Updated · Morning Star | The People’s Daily · Aug 10
Summary
7.4 million low-income UK families have gone without essential items in the past six months, the highest level since the Joseph Rowntree Foundation began tracking the crisis in 2021.
The foundation said more families are cutting meals, falling behind on household bills and credit repayments, and turning to payday lenders or loan sharks to cover basics.
Burnham has used his cost-of-living tour to argue Westminster has normalized hidden pricing and everyday consumer rip-offs, reinforcing his push for tighter rules on fake discounts and subscription traps by January 2027.
The squeeze is spreading beyond traditional poverty groups, with the fastest recent rises among households not on means-tested benefits, outright homeowners, childless households and people over 65.