Today's immigration white paper has been gutting to hear about. "An island of strangers" is such not the kind of language we should be hearing from the PM. It doesn't treat anyone with dignity, and some of the proposals raise big qs for sectors like care.

I can't think of anything else in the last 4 years that could have possibly meant weak economic growth.

Today bills go up. @jrf-uk.bsky.social October cost of living tracker found 60% of low income families had gone without essentials in the previous 6 months - a figure barely changed in 2.5 years. This increased to 88% where a family receives disability benefits. And that’s before the cuts

Extraordinary story just published in @thetimes.com And one that rather gives the lie to the idea that the Government’s cuts to disability benefits is driven by a moral mission about work. It’s about fiscal rules… www.thetimes.com/article/f80d...

Yesterday's welfare announcements have very concentrated impacts for individuals who lose eligibility (and some gains for others). Case studies just published - only the government knows how many people will suffer £9k losses. Shouldn't they tell us?

The government’s proposal in the health and disability green paper that people should have to be awarded 4 points for one of the daily living activities in order to receive PIP is absolutely mad. Thousands of disabled people will be thrown off PIP and pushed even further into poverty.

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Liz Kendall's speech today laid out plans to cut disability and sickness benefits by billions. ❌ No truly moral choice would leave disabled people without support designed to allow them to lead a dignified life, or facing hardship. 1/4

Cutting support for disabled people completely undermines some of the positive employment support changes proposed by Liz Kendall today. The govt could have made these positive changes using their tax lever, putting the cost on those with the broadest shoulders, not some of the most vulnerable.

Thanks to @theguardian.com for covering @jrf-uk.bsky.social work (see www.theguardian.com/society/2025...). “A government that came to office pledging to end the moral scar of food bank use clearly should not be taking steps that could leave disabled people at greater risk of needing to use one.”

If these numbers in the Times are correct, these cuts would take a huge amount of money away from severely disabled people, and it’s completely morally indefensible. Rachel Reeves needs to look to tax to address the fiscal situation, not our disability support.

Some news! After 5+ years of my dream job @jrf-uk.bsky.social, next week is my last. I think it's rare to really love your job. But having the best colleagues, and getting to work on such important issues everyday has meant I have. Time to learn new things at the BBC which will be VERY different!

About to enter the wild world of trying to buy the world’s tiniest flat in London - does anyone have any recommendations for housing solicitors? Everyone I’ve talked to so far has only said PLEASE DO NOT USE THE ONE I DID which feels fun and alarming

1 in 7 workers experience ‘major earnings instability’. Not having security and stability in earnings can seriously impact your ability to pay your bills and cover expenses. Especially if you don't have savings. We've funded @resfoundation.bsky.social's report on unstable pay in the UK 🔽 1/3

Really brilliant to have worked with the team on unstable pay as @jrf-uk.bsky.social funded this work. It helps to fill a huge data gap on month to month volatility of earnings from work - and shows low paid, young, and temporary workers are most likely to experience volatility. Do have a read!

Not to make my workplace sound unserious, but we have a meeting room called “Collabadabadoo”

April is looking v scary with the energy price cap increasing by 6.4%, and a huge suite of other bills about to increase too: water council tax, social rents. Private rents are also still soaring (up ~9% on last year). All the while benefits are only increasing by 1.7% and LHA stays frozen Dire

Inflation is up by 3%, but private rents are up by 8.7% across the UK and 11%(!!!) in London. Across GB, it means paying ~£100 more per month on average since Jan 24, or ~£200 more per month since Jan 23. In London, £220 more per month since Jan 24, or ~£400(!) more per month since Jan 23.

The @bankofengland.bsky.social forecasts expect consumer price inflation to increase to 3.7% over 2025 Families who are already struggling to pay their bills face rising energy and water bills 📈 They're in desperate need of more pounds in their pockets, as the Chancellor has promised 1/2

All eyes on the BoE's (welcome) cut to the bank rate today, but really concerning that energy and water bills are set to push inflation up to 3.7% in Q3 this year. With over 7 million low-income households already going without essentials, this is v bad news for putting pounds in peoples pockets.

The Chancellor's speech today barely mentioned the people that make up the economy. She started her speech saying that it's about pounds in people's pockets. But with 14.3 million people in poverty, including 4.3 million children, too many don't have the £'s that will help grow the economy.

This year the UK Govt say they will publish an 'ambitious' cross-government child poverty strategy Any respectable child poverty strategy must include action on social security including to abolish the two-child limit and introduce a protected minimum amount of support to UC 5/5

Our latest UK poverty report is out today, highlighting that rates of child poverty remain unacceptably high. Almost 1 in 3 children in the UK are in poverty, amounting to 4.3 million children. Economic growth on it's own is not our ticket out of child poverty - we need urgent, targeted policies 👇

Giggling a lot here

The big joy of being home for summer 💚

With the Bank Rate holding at 4.75%, it adds to the litany of poor economic indicators we've seen this week that everyone, but especially low-income families, have been confronted with: - rising inflation - soaring rents - more expensive water bills on the horizon Not a great Christmas present.

🚨🏠 New private rent stats also out this morning, with rents across the UK up 9.1% in the year to November 2024. In London, up 11.6%! These are HUGE monthly increases: Compared to a year ago, on average, it's an extra £110 per month in Great Britain and an extra £230(!!) per month in London

CPI inflation up to 2.6%, with sticky core inflation rising to 3.5%. Our latest research showed that the impacts of high rising costs, alongside still soaring housing costs, mean 7 million families are still going without essentials & living standards are still set to fall this parliament.

Over 1.5m families have taken out loans to pay for special occasions like Christmas and birthday gifts, new @jrf-uk.bsky.social research shared with PolHome shows "We know it's what quite a lot of people are turning to," said economist @rachelleearwaker.bsky.social @nadinebh.bsky.social reports

Essential reading ahead of Keir Starmer's speech this morning: Our latest @jrf-uk.bsky.social analysis shows that living standards are set to continue to fall over this parliament for those on the lowest incomes, with the biggest % falls for those in the bottom 20%. Housing costs are a HUGE driver

The benefits of Keir Starmer's plan for change must be felt by the worst off 📢 New research shows average disposable incomes for the bottom 40% will be £440 lower by 2029 than this year. Lowest-income households will be hit hardest. 1/6

Our latest @jrf-uk.bsky.social COL survey is out & it's a dire picture for living standards. We find ZERO CHANGE since May 24 in low income families going without essentials & being in arrears. We project this group will be £440 p/y worse off in Oct 29 after housing costs, compared to now. 🧵1/x

New @jrf-uk.bsky.social research reveals Bangladeshi, Black African and Pakistani families are up to 5x more likely to be living in persistent very deep poverty compared to white families in the UK. We must continue applying a race equity lens to analysis of poverty. www.jrf.org.uk/race-and-eth...

📣New @jrf-uk.bsky.social research on ethnicity and persistent very deep poverty*. Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Black African families are 5x more like to experience it than white families. We wanted to dig into the reasons…

The MCHLG impact assessment on Renters' Rights Bill puts the core cost to landlords at £22 per property per year over 10 years (though then saving £9 per property per year in letting agent costs). So £13 per year. www.gov.uk/government/p...

While rents soar, and the govt chooses to keep LHA frozen, @jrf-uk.bsky.social's latest Oct 24 COL tracker shows that for low income private renters on housing benefits: - 82% are going without essentials - 62% are paying more than 40% of their income on rent - 19% are in arrears with their rent

❄️When I left the house today, my weather app said it felt like -5 degrees outside Our latest @jrf-uk.bsky.social COL tracker from October tells us that around 1 in 4 low income households (2.9 million families) couldn't afford to heat their homes in the last 6 months. So worrying ahead of winter.

Today’s ONS private rent and house prices figures show rent price inflation increased by 8.7% in the 12 months to October 2024, up from 8.4% in September. 📢 This is the 15th consecutive month that annual rent price inflation has been above 8%. 1/5

Need for a food bank is 69%(!!!) higher than five years ago.

As temperatures drop, @jrf-uk.bsky.social latest cost of living tracker shows in Oct: 🥶 a quarter (24%) of low income households couldn’t afford to heat their home in the last 6 months At £91 per week the basic rate of universal credit falls well short of what is needed to cover life’s essentials

Good thread from @rachelleearwaker.bsky.social. Another way of looking at this, is that UK rents have gone up by almost a quarter in the last three years, since rents started rocketing, but only went up by 5% over the three years before that. In London, the increase over the last three years is 27%!

New private rent stats out today for Oct 24 show an annual increase of 8.7% in GB and 10.5% in London, equating to £105 more per month on average in GB and £204 in London, compared to Oct 23. These are big rises, and come on the back of the decision taken to keep LHA frozen at the Budget. 🧵 1/x

'What's good for Māori is good for everyone' SO PROUD Toitū Te Tiriti 🖤🤍❤️ www.rnz.co.nz/news/te-manu...

Toitū Te Tiriti. Sending all of my aroha and solidarity to everyone in Aotearoa - I wish I could be there to add my voice outside Parliament today. Divisive bills that stomp on our treaty, a treaty that is bigger than all of us, have no place in our country. www.theguardian.com/world/2024/n...

Joseph Rowntree Foundation are recruiting two analysts to join our Insight and Policy Team. 📊🧑‍💻 Perfect role for early-career researchers with an interest in social policy, economic security, poverty, and more! Apply below ⬇️ (Please share) jrf.octo-firstclass.co.uk/candidates/c...

📢📢Tune in to @itvnews at 6:30pm today to hear about our new @jrf_uk report on the impact of LHA policies from 2011 -2025, and our warning about what will happen to private renters in poverty and how much worse off they will be if the Government does not unfreeze LHA in the Budget.

The Renters Rights Bill has it's second reading today! The Bill is welcome and overdue. But it has missed the opportunity to tackle affordability. Putting the onus on tenants to go to a tribunal if their rent is increasing above "market rate" is not the answer. www.thetimes.com/life-style/p...

Some BIG data news: @jrf-uk.bsky.social has launched our cost of living dashboard! We've been tracking the financial impact covid and the COL crisis has had for low income households since October 2021, & now you can explore some of the data we have gathered in an interactive way 🧵1/x

🗣️ These really are record levels of rent inflation. But if general inflation has come back down in target range, why are rents still so high? Senior Economist, Rachelle Earwaker, explains: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5z9...