"Voters were promised a “change” chancellor once already – both they, and the new prime minister, really need one now." www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Andy Burnham promised urgent action on the cost of living; the heat is now on chancellor John Healey to deliver it | Alfie Stirling

The PM and the new boss at the Treasury face an even trickier task than their predecessors. They need a good plan, and we have one, says Alfie Sirling of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation

theguardian.com

Andy Burnham is right that people need "breathing space" Household incomes are expected to be £740 (1.7%) lower in 2029/30 than they were at the beginning of the parliament And the lowest income households are set to face the biggest falls (3.4%) But it doesn't have to be this way

Conflict in the Middle East will worsen an already weak outlook for living standards But Government action on energy, housing, and the income safety net, funded by economically efficient tax reforms, can ensure most families are better off over both this parliament and compared to 2019

Social security is carrying too much of the cost of economic failure elsewhere A policy reset is clearly needed In a new @jrf-uk.bsky.social paper, we argue that addressing the drivers of economic insecurity can sustainably ease pressure on the income safety net and improve living standards

The Guardian@theguardian.com · 2mo ago

Focus on jobs, not benefits, to cut welfare bill, says thinktank

New from JRF: we need Rent Controls (and Tax Reform). Landlords have been cashing in on rents and house price growth, making excessive returns, while tenants are paying exorbitant rents which drive economic insecurity, poverty and homelessness. New policy and research from us⬇️

NEW: The government wants to boost employment among people who receive universal credit - but our analysis suggests a lack of good-quality jobs is making this near impossible. And, in some local authorities, there’s as few as 5 vacancies for every 100 people on universal credit…

Those below the poverty line are, increasingly, well below it New @statspeter.bsky.social @katieschmuecker.bsky.social @jrf-uk.bsky.social study www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

Record number of people in UK live in ‘very deep poverty’, analysis shows

Joseph Rowntree Foundation finds problem is ‘deeper and more damaging than at any point in the last 30 years’

theguardian.com

Poverty is deepening. 🔎 Our #UKPoverty2026 report was launched this morning. People in very deep poverty now make up the biggest group of people in poverty, at 6.8 million people. This is unacceptable for the fifth richest country in the world, and it has consequences.

New DWP forecasts show that spending on working-age social security is expected to be stable over the rest of the parliament at 5.1% of GDP This is a slight increase from the Spring, but is mainly for welcome reasons like removing the two-child limit and reversing some of the cuts put forward then

The latest Personal Independence Payment data shows a further slowing of applications, with average claims down 7% in the year to October The largest reduction in new claims has been from people over 45 The OBR has said it expects monthly applications to fall to around 60,000 during the parliament

A helpful explainer here from Louise on the impact of system change on the UC health caseload It's also worth noting that up to 2023, 30% of the rise in the caseload was because of expected policy and demographic changes

Louise Murphy@louisemurphy.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Good news - DWP has finally published UC Health data, splitting out those who have migrated over from legacy benefits (ESA). What does the data tell us? ESA migration accounts for most of the rise in UC Health claims over the past year - but new claims explain more of the rise since the pandemic.

Scrapping the two-child limit will significantly reduce child poverty over the parliament and improve the living standards outlook for low-income families But more is needed to improve incomes, through higher earnings, lower housing costs, and a stronger social security system

Brilliant to see that the two-child limit will be scrapped, lifting 450,000 children out of poverty in 2029/30

📊 Latest figures out from the ONS this morning showed that inflation slowed to 3.6%. But food inflation rose to 4.9%, up from 4.5% in the previous month. The outlook for around 7 million households going without essentials in the UK remains extremely stark. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

UK inflation rate falls to 3.6% in year to October

Prices have been rising more slowly in the twelve months to October.

bbc.co.uk

Good to see DWP accepting much of the Work and Pensions Committee's recommendations for improving jobcentres Moving from a one-size fits all to a tailored approach will improve the relationship people have with their work coach, help them find better jobs, and improve their economic security

Truly fascinating stuff here! Kitchen table concerns vs things your newsfeed tells you to worry about…

Calum Weir@cwp-weir.bsky.social · 9mo ago

Yesterday, we put out a report on the most important issues to voters. We know that immigration now tops the traditional most important issues question (see below from @yougov.co.uk). But that doesn't tell the full story. Here is a rundown of the experiments we did to test this out (A THREAD):

It really is worth taking the time to hear from people like “Mary,” who fled from Zimbabwe 20 years ago, to understand what life is like when the law denies you the chance to call the country where you’ve made your life home

Daniel Trilling@trillingual.bsky.social · 9mo ago

In 2023 @tom-clark.bsky.social got me to write a chapter for his book on UK poverty about how immigration limbo, which Labour wants more of, makes people destitute. It was the most distressing piece I've ever worked on. We sent a copy to every MP. www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/society/6081...

Practical and progressive action here from the govt. Healthy workers benefit their companies and society overall. Right that employers are part of making that happen.

Joseph Rowntree Foundation@jrf-uk.bsky.social · 9mo ago

📒 Government published Sir Charlie Mayfield's ‘Keep Britain Working’ report today. An ambitious framework for how employers can support workers in ill-health. Focus must be here to shift the dial on employment of disabled people & benefit spend, not cutting people's benefits. 🧵

In new @jrf-uk.bsky.social analysis with @katieschmuecker.bsky.social we show how cost-effective improvements to social security can quickly improve the living standards outlook for families Scrapping the two-child limit and creating an income floor in Universal Credit would make a real difference

Analysis from @jrf-uk.bsky.social this week suggests this could be the worst parliament for living standards since detailed records began This doesn't have to be the case, but clearly more needs to be done to boost household incomes and ensure every family can afford the essentials

Delighted to give evidence to Work and Pensions Committee on pensioner poverty. Report says "retirement should be dignified and not a struggle at the poverty line." @jrf-uk.bsky.social and @crsp-uk.bsky.social's Minimum Income Standard measures this. What do the stats show? It's not good news (1/4).

Over 1.6m children are now impacted by the Two-Child Limit - 11.6% of all children This is a cruel policy that unnecessarily drags children into deeper levels of hardship It needs to go, and the longer it is kept, the greater the scarring effects on children's health and education will be

Katie Schmuecker @katieschmuecker.bsky.social · last yr.

The latest @jrf-uk.bsky.social cost of living tracker (May 2025) reveals the depth of hardship among low income families with 3+ children 🛑Almost 9 in 10 (88%) went without essentials in the previous 6 months 🛑 8 in 10 (82%) were in arrears 🛑7 in 10 (71%) held a loan taken out to pay for essentials.

The Govt has not published an employment impact assessment for their disability benefit cuts & increased employment support 📣New @jrf-uk.bsky.social analysis shows where you live matters, with competition for jobs higher in some areas with higher claims: former industrial & coastal areas 1/5

Sam Tims@sam-tims.bsky.social · last yr.

Much of the Government's intention for cutting PIP and UC is to motivate people to find a job But cutting social security can't 'incentivise' people into jobs that don't exist New @jrf-uk.bsky.social analysis shows there are simply too few jobs for the Government's argument to hold

Ahead of a crucial vote on cuts to disability benefits, our new evidence casts doubt on whether jobs are even available for disabled people facing cuts 📢 The analysis found that the parts of the country among the hardest hit by the cuts have fewer job opportunities 1/3

Much of the Government's intention for cutting PIP and UC is to motivate people to find a job But cutting social security can't 'incentivise' people into jobs that don't exist New @jrf-uk.bsky.social analysis shows there are simply too few jobs for the Government's argument to hold

What the child poverty strategy is is much more important than when it is. 1 million children are in destitution and pulling them out of poverty requires serious action on social security. Hope govt can see that. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

No 10 delays child poverty strategy with tens of thousands more facing hardship

Exclusive: Flagship policy put back until at least autumn amid fears cost of removing two-child benefit cap will outweigh political benefit

theguardian.com

Where will the cuts to sickness & disability benefits hit hardest? New @jrf-uk.bsky.social constituency analysis shows the % of working age people receiving these benefits in England & Wales. Some MP inboxes are likely to be brimming, as concern about these plans is widespread

This was raised in the Commons today. Heartening to see MPs across the House - many drawing on their lived experience - highlight deep concern over changes to PIP eligibility leading to loss of Carer's Allowance. parliamentlive.tv/event/index/...

Parliamentlive.tv

House of Commons

parliamentlive.tv

Sam Tims@sam-tims.bsky.social · last yr.

These cuts will make life harder for the entire family - how the reforms interact with the upcoming Child Poverty Strategy is incredibly important We already know there are ~900,000 children in a family where someone is unable to work for health reasons

NEW from @jrf-uk.bsky.social. Much was made of the pressures from a “changing world” on public finances. Those pressures are also impacting families, and government choices are making it worse. We find the avg. family will now be £750/yr worse off by 2029, vs today. Thread. #SpringStatement