UK correspondent Lia van Bekhoven stresses that the measures will not be introduced everywhere in the UK. “She mainly affects the poorest regions, especially in England,” she explains.
“It mainly affects the poorer regions of England in particular”
He also claims that it’s not just about coffee, meat and cleaning products. For example, cosmetic products are no longer placed loose on the shelves and baby milk powder is under lock and key.
Poor Brits
Even if prices in the Netherlands have risen, this is not proportional to the situation in the UK, Van Bekhoven thinks. “It didn’t happen overnight, though,” he says. “The UK is still one of the largest economies in the world, but for a rich country it is quite poor.”
The crux? The unequal distribution of wealth. According to Van Bekhoven, the United Kingdom has the highest number of billionaires ever at 171, compared with a relatively large percentage (22 per cent, ed) of poor people. “And among the poor, the older segment of the population has gotten even richer,” he continues. “And so there are four million children under the poor. They eat less, while more than ten per cent regularly skip an entire meal.’
Inflation
According to data analyst Kantar, the cost of groceries in some parts of the country has increased by around 965 euros compared to a year earlier. A blow to the government of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who hoped that inflation would have collapsed by now. “Food inflation especially, but it’s not going to happen,” Van Bekhoven continues.
Food inflation in the UK is currently at 19%, while headline inflation is at 10%. Additionally, rents are up 11.5%, gas prices have doubled and interest rates are at 4.5%. But wages have gone down. “The situation is so urgent that Sunak has threatened food companies and retailers with an investigation into the reason for the high prices,” concludes Van Bekhoven. And now he intends to consider a price freeze. Even in the UK there are rumors of hog inflation.’