We’ve given it a one-size-fits-all name: the cost-of-living crisis. But hard economic times hit everyone differently. A lucky few are blissfully unaffected. Many millions are forced to cut back on treats or trade down to budget brands. Others — people we live near and work with — are facing impossible choices.
The scale of the suffering happening right now will come as a shock, even to those well aware of the scourge of rising prices and soaring bills. A mother putting her baby to sleep in an open drawer because she cannot afford a cot. Families sitting in the dark and cold at night, swathed in coats and blankets for fear of unaffordable bills. It should not be happening in what we consider to be a wealthy country.
