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Exclusive: Three-in-four Brits believe poverty in the UK is getting worse as Reeves prepares for crunch Budget
Albert TothFriday 21 November 2025 10:34 GMTComments
open image in galleryA retired senior woman in her 70s sits at home inside her cold house in winter (stock image) (Getty Images)
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Two-thirds of Britons are worried about affording the essentials this Christmas, a shock new poll has revealed.
Research from Amnesty International UK and Savanta has found that 67 per cent of people are worried that they will need to cut back on things like heating and food this winter, with the cost of living continuing to impact millions of families across the UK.
As the end of 2025 draws nearer, higher bills and lower temperatures mean many are facing increased costs in the approach to the holiday season.
Concern is especially high amongst those aged 35-54, with 75 per cent of people in this cohort fearful that they will need to cut back on the essentials.
In a blow to the government, the polling also reveals that 69 per cent of people feel that the government is not doing enough to tackle the cost of living crisis.
open image in galleryChancellor Rachel Reeves will outline her Budget on 26 November (PA) (PA Wire)The findings will concern Rachel Reeves ahead of Wednesday’s Budget, with the chancellor saying yesterday that tackling the cost of living is one of the Treasury’s top priorities.
It is understood that scrapping the two-child benefit cap to mitigate child poverty is likely to be announced at the fiscal event. However, with the IFS estimating that Ms Reeves needs to raise at least £22bn to shore up exchequer funds, meaning this may well be the extent of cost of living-focused policies.
The research highlighted by Amnesty also showed:
- 27 per cent of people are worried about not being able to heat their home this winter
- 22 per cent are worried about going into debt
- Among 35-54-year-olds, one in three (30 per cent) fear going into debt
- Three quarters (75 per cent) of Britons believe poverty in the UK is getting worse
Jen Clark, Amnesty International UK’s economic, social and cultural rights lead, said: “These awful statistics pull back the curtain on the widespread poverty in the UK, the fear and precarity it causes and how many are going without the day-to-day essentials that we all have a right to.
“We are often made to feel that poverty or financial insecurity is a personal failing, but when nearly one in three people are worried they won’t be able to heat their homes - the problem clearly lies with systematic failures of stagnant wages, inadequate social security and skyrocketing prices for essentials like food, housing and energy.
“These findings are damning for the Government. There’s widespread consensus that they are completely out of touch and failing to address this critical issue.”
open image in galleryHigher bills and lower temperatures mean many are facing increased costs in the approach to the holiday season. (PA)Ms Clark says that a “fundamental political reset” is needed, with poverty eradication made a “key priority, rather than growth alone.” Scrapping the two-child benefit limit and benefit cap should be the “bare minimum” at the Budget, she adds.
Despite recently steadying prices, inflationary spikes in recent years have seen the cost of living skyrocket in the UK.
Recent research from Trussell Trust revealed that 14 million adults are currently going without food because they cannot afford it. Meanwhile, energy arrears have more than doubled over the past five years, rising to £4.4bn by the end of June.
Anti-poverty charity the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has said that low-income families in the UK are on course for the worst fall in living standards on record by the next election in 2029.
A government spokesperson said: “Supporting households with the cost of living is a top priority for this government.
“That is why we are offering a £1 billion support package to local councils and have expanded the £150 Warm Home Discount to support six million vulnerable households.
“On top of this we are investing £500million in children’s development, extending free school meals and our Child Poverty Taskforce will publish an ambitious strategy to tackle the structural and root causes of child poverty.”
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