But the most important thing is to prevent even more people from becoming poor. Outside one of the rows of brick houses in the former mining town of Bishop Auckland in the north-east of England, Eunice Dawson stands and takes a smoke. She is one of those who voted for Boris Johnson and the Conservative Party at the last election. But things have been far from better for her since then. It’s tucked away in Eunice Dawson’s fridge too. It is empty of the prepaid electricity and gas. She faces a cold winter. Photo: Gry Blekastad Almås / news – I have no money for food and am dependent on free food distributions. I also cannot afford to use gas or electricity. – How are you going to get through the winter? – I get to sit and freeze, and drink a lot of tea and coffee. She shows off her empty food cupboards. Fortunately, there is a new distribution of food at the food station the day after news’s visit. She has been collecting silver ornaments for ten years. Now she sells them to cover her expenses, but soon there is no more to sell. The situation is desperate. The other day she also considered a desperate move: taking her own life. – I went to the doctor and got antidepressants instead. But it’s so bad. It’s terrible. The chin begins to tremble, the eyes fill with tears. But she recovers. On Monday, either Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss will be appointed Prime Minister of Great Britain. Photo: HANNAH MCKAY / Reuters Sky-high price rise The new British Prime Minister inherits a situation with sky-high inflation of over ten percent. It is expected to reach over 13 percent during the year. Energy prices increase by 80 per cent in October, and are expected to rise further in the new year. The British have a system that regulates how much energy companies can charge consumers. This price ceiling is adjusted every quarter, which is why this price jump is coming now. Half of all Britons say they are now struggling to pay their bills, according to a survey by Britain’s National Statistics Agency. In Bishop Auckland, Eunice Dawson is far from alone in feeling the scarcity of her body. The whole city bears the mark of a decay that has been going on for decades, but which is getting worse. Stores are about to close or have closed a long time ago. There are a striking number of shops that are closing or have closed in Bishop Auckland. People complain about a lack of investment in the area. Photo: Gry Blekastad Almås / news At The Kings Head pub in the middle of town, news meets a group of people who describe the situation. Tony Mortimer lives with his 81-year-old demented father. They can barely afford heating now. But when winter comes and prices go up, he doesn’t know what to do. – I get to sell my body, he says gallows humor. Nicholas Barrat-Atkin is worried about his company. He runs a farm with horses and a riding school. It requires a lot of energy. He also fears that leisure activities are one of the first to be affected by budget cuts. It looks dark. Joanne and John Howa look for the cheapest food in the shops and have started eating less. They used to bathe, but now just take a quick shower. Turn off the heat and put on an extra sweater. – It’s definitely more difficult here in the north than in the south of the country, says John excitedly. Voted for Boris – would prefer to keep him Bishop Auckland was one of the traditional working-class areas that voted Conservative for the very first time in the 2019 general election. Boris Johnson has been credited with breaking through the so-called red wall in the north. She is just one of many struggling to make ends meet in poor areas of Britain. Photo: Gry Blekastad Almås / news It is perhaps not surprising that many news people meeting here would like to keep Johnson as the country’s leader. But on Monday, either Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss will be appointed as the new party leader and thus prime minister. It is not the voters, but the between 160,000 and 200,000 party members who have voted. But a majority of them would also prefer to choose Boris Johnson, shows a poll from Opinion. Eunice Dawson was among those who voted Conservative in 2019. She is happy to do so again. But only if Liz Truss becomes the party’s leader and the country’s next prime minister. She is likely to be, according to the measurements. It remains to be seen what steps Boris Johnson’s successor will take to help people like Eunice Dawson.
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Can’t afford food – hope new British prime minister is the rescue – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
