A disabled man in Liverpool has been left with the heart-breaking choice of either heating his home or powering the electric wheelchair that he relies on to get around.
The cost of living crisis is forcing people across the country to make horrendous choices as energy bills and the price of food and supplies continues to spiral. Many vulnerable people are being pushed into poverty.
Liverpool West Derby Member of Parliament Ian Byrne has revealed the details of what he described as 'one of the most heart-breaking calls' that he has ever had from a constituent. Mr Byrne said: "A man has explained to me how the cost of living crisis and the huge increase in energy has left him choosing between heating his home or powering his electric wheelchair."
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He added: "What have we become as a nation? How many more disabled people who have already suffered the worst through austerity and the pandemic are now facing this? Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson must act to immediately ensure our most vulnerable people can survive this awful period. We need a complete overhaul of this broken system."
Mr Byrne, who has been spearheading a campaign for a Right to Food to be enshrined in law, was speaking after Prime Minister Boris Johnson was grilled in an interview by Good Morning Britain host Susanna Reid. The Priime Minister was widely criticised for his performance.
When asked by Ms Reid about the plight of a 77-year-old forced to ride around on buses all day to keep warm, rather than paying to have her heating on, Mr Johnson could only claim that he introduced free travel for pensioners during his time as Mayor of London. Not only were his comments described as 'tin eared' but also misleading. The Freedom Pass was created in London in 1973, while Mr Johnson launched a 60+ Oyster Card in London in 2012.
Tweeting in response to the interview clip, Liverpool MP Mr Byrne said: "The people in charge of this country are making the political choices that created this situation in the world’s 5th richest economy." Responding, Wirral Council leader Jan Williamson said: "I spoke to one disabled resident who has become almost reclusive because they can't afford to charge their wheelchair to go out. The system is broken. It's actually heart-breaking and enraging in equal measures to see and hear the abject misery some people's lives have become."
