‘Dark days’ of cost of living crisis are still here for this family – and this is what it means for their vote
“We eat according to price rather than enjoyment,” Sarah Bowmer tells me when we meet on the high street of her hometown of Bakewell, Derbyshire.
It’s a sunny day and the tourists have flocked to this picturesque market town in the heart of the Peak District.
Day-trippers wander around the souvenir shop and queues have formed to buy the famous Bakewell pudding, which has made this town famous since the 1820s.
But Sarah isn’t feeling it.
Food prices are still 25% more expensive than when I first met Sarah and Paul in 2022. She calls that period the “dark days”.
Sarah, 53, is a carer for 56-year-old Paul, who is registered disabled. They live in rented accommodation with their two sons Joseph, 17, and William, 15.
Back in 2022, they had just received a gas bill which had doubled from £240 the previous month to £490.
“When I read the letter from the gas company I just burst into tears. I had no idea how we would cope. It was terrifying,” said Sarah.
They turned the heating off and wore more jumpers. They cut back on shopping and batch-cooked food.
Sarah and her son Joseph
The cost of living crisis that was being talked about so much in the media had arrived at their door.
And this was all happening, in part, because of a rise in inflation in both the UK and the world in general.
But the economic hangover caused by the pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and trade difficulties caused by Brexit were also making things worse.
Sarah says she was putting on a brave face for Paul and the boys.
“I was trying to pretend that everything was fine, but it really wasn’t. We are heading into winter, and I have no idea how we were going to manage,” she said.
In October 2022, the government stepped in to prevent household bills from spiralling out of control, introducing a cap on average bills to help families out.
Paul and Sarah have struggled to make ends meet
Sarah, like most people, welcomed it.
But eventually the cost of that scheme, as well as the billions spent keeping the economy alive during the pandemic, would lead to difficult decisions, with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announcing £55bn in spending cuts during November’s autumn statement.
By now, British families are forecast to see the biggest drop in living standards since the war.
‘The problem is here now’
When I met Sarah and Paul again, it is early November, the days are short and there’s a cold snap on the way, with temperatures forecast to drop below zero.
Winter in Derbyshire
We sit around their kitchen table and talk. Paul says their money is not going very far.
“We go for a normal everyday shop, which used to be about maybe £20 to £30 has now turned into £70,” he said.
“There are things we just don’t buy anymore, sweets for the kids or a nice pudding. The money we save has to go on heating the house or paying the bills.”
Sarah says she is growing more and more frustrated with politicians.
“I understand that the government has to look at the long term, but the problem is here and now for so many families, including ours. It’s getting through winter, that’s the biggie,” she said.
Over the next few months inflation begins to fall, offering Prime Minister Rishi Sunak a glimmer of hope this economic good news story could be harnessed to his advantage.
The prime minister announced there will be an election on 4 July and the nation is put on an election footing.
‘We are worse off now’
I met Sarah and Paul again and they tell me their political views have very much been shaped by their experiences of the last few years.
The family at a Chesterfield FC match
Sarah says: “Very little has changed for us. We are still struggling to make ends meet and we are still seeing that the price of food is still very high.
“In fact, I think food is more expensive now than it was a few years ago.
“I have watched politics stumble from one disaster to another and it makes me so angry.
“I don’t think they really care about how families like ours survive these times. They do appear to only care about themselves.”
Sarah comes from a Conservative-voting family and has voted Tory in the past. Paul says he leans more towards Labour, but there’s a problem for him.
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“As a leader, Kier Starmer doesn’t quite cut it for me. I cannot put my finger on it. But when I look at the Conservative record over the past 14 years, I have no choice really but to support Labour this time around.”
Sarah says: “We are worse off now. That’s something that we have to take into consideration with this election.”
A teenage girl who was killed after getting out of a police car on the M5 in Somerset has been named.
Tamzin Hall, 17 and from Wellington, was hit by a vehicle that was travelling southbound between junction 24 for Bridgwater and junction 25 for Taunton shortly after 11pm on Monday.
She had exited a police vehicle that had stopped on the northbound side of the motorway while transporting her.
A mandatory referral was made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, which is now carrying out its own investigation into what happened.
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Avon and Somerset Police said: “Our thoughts and sympathies go out to Tamzin’s family for their devastating loss.
“A specially-trained family liaison officer remains in contact with them to keep them updated and to provide support.
“The family have asked for privacy at this difficult time.”
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The police watchdog, the IOPC, has been asked to investigate.
In a statement, director David Ford, said: “This was a truly tragic incident and my thoughts are with Tamzin’s family and friends and everyone affected by the events of that evening.
“We are contacting her family to express our sympathies, explain our role, and set out how our investigation will progress. We will keep them fully updated as our investigation continues.”
Paramedics attended the motorway within minutes of the girl being hit but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
The motorway was closed in both directions while investigations took place. It was fully reopened shortly after 11am on Tuesday, Nationals Highways said.
A survivors group advocating for women allegedly assaulted by Mohamed al Fayed has said it is “grateful another abuser has been unmasked”, after allegations his brother Salah also participated in the abuse.
Justice for Harrods Survivors says it has “credible evidence” suggesting the sexual abuse allegedly perpetrated at Harrods and the billionaire’s properties “was not limited to Mr al Fayed himself”.
The group’s statement comes after three women told BBC News they were sexually assaulted by al Fayed’s brother, Salah.
One woman said she was raped by Mohamed al Fayed while working at Harrods.
Helen, who has waived her right to anonymity, said she then took a job working for his brother as an escape. She alleges she was drugged and sexually assaulted while working at Salah’s home on Park Lane, London.
Two other women have told the BBC they were taken to Monaco and the South of France, where Salah sexually abused them.
Mohamed al Fayed. Pic: AP
The Justice for Harrod Survivors representatives said: “We are proud to support the survivors of Salah Fayed’s abuse and are committed to achieving justice for them, no matter what it takes.”
The group added it “looks forward to the others on whom we have credible evidence – whether abusers themselves or enablers facilitating that abuse – being exposed in due course”.
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Salah was one of the three Fayed brothers who co-owned Harrods.
The business, which was sold to Qatar Holdings when Mohamed al Fayed retired in 2010, has said it “supports the bravery of these women in coming forward”.
A statement issued by the famous store on Thursday evening continued: “We encourage these survivors to come forward and make their claims to the Harrods scheme, where they can apply for compensation, as well as support from a counselling perspective and through an independent survivor advocate.
“We also hope that they are looking at every appropriate avenue to them in their pursuit of justice, whether that be Harrods, the police or the Fayed family and estate.”
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Bianca Gascoigne speaks about Al Fayed abuse
The Justice for Harrods Survivors group previously said more than 400 people had contacted them regarding accusations about Mohamed al Fayed, who died last year.
One of those alleged to have been abused is Bianca Gascoigne, the daughter of former England player Paul.
Speaking to Sky News in October, Gascoigne said she was groomed and sexually assaulted by al Fayed when she worked at Harrods as a teenager.
UK
Wes Streeting ‘crossed the line’ by opposing assisted dying in public, says Labour peer Harriet Harman
Wes Streeting “crossed the line” by opposing assisted dying in public and the argument shouldn’t “come down to resources”, a Labour peer has said.
Speaking on Sky News’ Electoral Dysfunction podcast, Baroness Harriet Harman criticised the health secretary for revealing how he is going to vote on the matter when it comes before parliament later this month.
MPs are being given a free vote, meaning they can side with their conscience and not party lines, so the government is supposed to be staying neutral.
But Mr Streeting has made clear he will vote against legalising assisted dying, citing concerns end-of-life care is not good enough for people to make an informed choice, and that some could feel pressured into the decision to save the NHS money.
He has also ordered a review into the potential costs of changing the law, warning it could come at the expense of other NHS services if implemented.
Baroness Harman said Mr Streeting has “crossed the line in two ways”.
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“He should not have said how he was going to vote, because that breaches neutrality and sends a signal,” she said.
“And secondly… he’s said the problem is that it will cost money to bring in an assisted dying measure, and therefore he will have to cut other services.
“But paradoxically, he also said it would be a slippery slope because people will be forced to bring about their own death in order to save the NHS money. Well, it can’t be doing both things.
“It can’t be both costing the NHS money and saving the NHS money.”
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Review into assisted dying costs
Baroness Harman said the argument “should not come down to resources” as it is a “huge moral issue” affecting “only a tiny number of people”.
She added that people should not mistake Mr Streeting for being “a kind of proxy for Keir Starmer”.
“The government is genuinely neutral and all of those backbenchers, they can vote whichever way they want,” she added.
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Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has previously expressed support for assisted dying, but it is not clear how he intends to vote on the issue or if he will make his decision public ahead of time.
The cabinet has varying views on the topic, with the likes of Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood siding with Mr Streeting in her opposition but Energy Secretary Ed Miliband being for it.
Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband is said to support the bill. Pic: Reuters
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has concerns. Pic: Reuters
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The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is being championed by Labour backbencher Kim Leadbeater, who wants to give people with six months left to live the choice to end their lives.
Under her proposals, two independent doctors must confirm a patient is eligible for assisted dying and a High Court judge must give their approval.
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Labour MP Kim Leadbeater discusses End of Life Bill
The bill will also include punishments of up to 14 years in prison for those who break the law, including coercing someone into ending their own life.
MPs will debate and vote on the legislation on 29 November, in what will be the first Commons vote on assisted dying since 2015, when the proposal was defeated.
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