The latest inflation rates in the UK gives a sense of ease to Britons as it drops to 8.7%in April from 10.1% in March. The inflation rate stand under 10% for the first time since August last year. However the latest figure released by the Office for National Statistics remain way more than the predicted 8.2% rates. Reports say that the drop took place because the energy rates are slowing down from extreme hikes witnessed an year ago. Watch to know more in this expert interview with Senior Market Analyst Craig Erlam.

UK inflation falls to 8.7% in April, food prices still remain high

UK inflation rates eases after a major U-Turn by IMF

New figures on the cost of living crisis reveals that around 11 million adults in the UK are struggling to pay their debts and bills. According to the Financial Conduct Authority in May, 3.1 million people are facing difficulties to pay bills. The UK financial watchdog found that 11% of adults have missed a bill or loan payment in at least three in the previous six months.

UK cost of living crisis: 11 million UK adults struggling to pay bills and debts

UK is bracing itself for another NHS strike by doctors where senior doctors in England are set to vote on Industrial Action over pay. As per reports ballots will open on June 27th and the British Medical Association has urged members to approve it.

UK Strike woes: Senior doctors in UK to vote on Industrial Action over pay on June 27th

UK Lawmakers launch an investigation into food-supply chain as food price inflation hits 46-year high. Cross-party committee will examine overall profits and risks in the industry while EFRA committee examines impact of external factors on supply chain.

UK cost of living crisis: Lawmakers launch probe into the food inflation crisis

<p>Almost 4 million children in the United Kingdom are living in food poverty, meaning they either skip meals, go hungry or not eat meals at all in a 24-hour period — new data shows.</p>

<p>According to a report by London-based 'The Food Foundation', one in five (22 per cent)&nbsp;households reported skipping meals, going hungry or not eating for a whole day in January, up from 12 per cent at the equivalent point in January 2022.</p>

<h2><b>Growing support for mid-day meal like programmes in the UK</b></h2>

<p>The rising food insecurity amid post-Covid and post-Brexit cost of living crisis in Britain&nbsp;has led to an increased support for expanding free school meals in Britain. About 80 per cent of individuals polled by The Food Foundation said they support extension of free school meal to all children in the households receiving universal credit.</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/millions-forced-to-skip-meals-for-an-entire-day-in-the-uk-new-study-shows-526574">Millions forced to skip meals for an entire day in the UK, new study shows</a></strong></p>

<p>Last month, London mayor Sadiq Khan announced that all primary school pupils would be given a choice to avail a free lunch for a year from September 2023.</p>

<p>In London localities such as Islington, Newham, Southwark, Tower Hamlets and Westminster, free school meals for all primary school pupils have already been rolled out.</p>

<h2><strong>Who is eligible for free school meals right now?</strong></h2>

<p>In the United Kingdom, about&nbsp;800,000 children in poverty do not qualify for free school meals. To be eligible, the&nbsp;households must have an annual income of under £7,400 before benefits and after tax.</p>

<p><strong>ALSO WATCH |&nbsp;UK: What has led to a cost of living crisis?</strong></p>

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<p>"Since 2010 the number of children receiving a free meal at school has increased by more than 2 million, increasing the number of pupils who benefit from free school meals in education settings from just one in six, to over one third,"&nbsp;a department for Education spokesperson said in an official statement.</p>

<p>"On top of this, we have made a further investment in the national school breakfast programme to extend the programme for another year, backed by up to £30m ($36.08m)," it added.<br />
<br />
<em>(With inputs from agencies)</em><br />
&nbsp;</p>

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Almost 4 million children in the United Kingdom are living in food poverty, meaning they either skip meals, go hungry or not eat meals at all in a 24-hour period — new data shows.

Almost 4 million children in the United Kingdom are living in food poverty, meaning they either skip meals, go hungry or not eat meals at all in a 24-hour period — new data shows. According to a report by London-based 'The Food Foundation', one in five (22 per cent) households reported skipping meals, going hungry or not eating for a whole day in January, up from 12 per cent at the equivalent point in January 2022. Growing support for mid-day meal like programmes in the UK The rising food insecurity amid post-Covid and post-Brexit cost of living crisis in Britain has led to an increased support for expanding free school meals in Britain. About 80 per cent of individuals polled by The Food Foundation said they support extension of free school meal to all children in the households receiving universal credit. ALSO READ | Millions forced to skip meals for an entire day in the UK, new study shows Last month, London mayor Sadiq Khan announced that all primary school pupils would be given a choice to avail a free lunch for a year from September 2023. In London localities such as Islington, Newham, Southwark, Tower Hamlets and Westminster, free school meals for all primary school pupils have already been rolled out. Who is eligible for free school meals right now? In the United Kingdom, about 800,000 children in poverty do not qualify for free school meals. To be eligible, the households must have an annual income of under £7,400 before benefits and after tax. ALSO WATCH | UK: What has led to a cost of living crisis? × "Since 2010 the number of children receiving a free meal at school has increased by more than 2 million, increasing the number of pupils who benefit from free school meals in education settings from just one in six, to over one third," a department for Education spokesperson said in an official statement. "On top of this, we have made a further investment in the national school breakfast programme to extend the programme for another year, backed by up to £30m ($36.08m)," it added. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Food poverty strikes UK amid growing calls for free meals to kids in schools

Inflation in the U.K. has hit a 41-year high driven in large part by gas and electricity costs. In the latest, some parents are struggling to afford school meals. Free school lunches are provided for all 4- to 7-year-olds in England, but most parents of older children have to pay about two pounds USD a day for their child to have a cooked meal.

Cost of living crisis looms over UK schools

<p>Next month, thousands of nursing staff across Britain will go on strike for the first time in the 106-year history of the UK's nurses union.&nbsp;The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) union said that staff in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland will go on strike on December 15 and 20. Nursing staff from Scotland will reportedly not participate.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Watch |&nbsp;UK inflation rises to 41-year high at 11.1%; food, energy prices soar</strong></p>

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<p>As per Reuters, the National Health Service (NHS) nurses' walkouts are the first in what could be a series of walkouts after the government rejected a proposal for negotiations to address demands for pay increases of five&nbsp;per cent over inflation.</p>

<p>"Nursing staff have had enough of being taken for granted, enough of low pay and unsafe staffing levels, enough of not being able to give our patients the care they deserve," said Royal College of Nursing (RCN) General Secretary Pat Cullen.</p>

<p>This will be the most recent strike in Britain. This year, numerous public and private sector employees—from lawyers to ground crew at airports—have also held protests.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uk-inflation-spurs-to-41-year-high-before-jeremy-hunts-autumn-statement-534697">UK inflation soars to 41-year high before Jeremy Hunt's autumn statement</a></strong></p>

<p>Workers across a range of industries in the UK have been demanding pay increases to keep up with rising prices due to decades-high inflation and a cost-of-living problem.</p>

<p>The nurses' strike as per AFP comes amid the first in a series of two-day walkouts by railroad workers and more stoppages by postal workers in the run-up to Christmas.</p>

<p>Steve Barclay, the UK's health minister, shared concern over the strikes and expressed his great gratitude for the "hard work and dedication" of nurses. He said that the NHS has "tried and tested plans" to minimise disruption and guarantee emergency services are maintained.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uk-high-inflation-casts-shadow-on-fastest-rise-in-wages-in-20-years-534384">UK: High inflation casts shadow on fastest rise in wages in 20 years</a></strong></p>

<p>According to the government, it has approved independent pay proposals and will provide at least £1,400 ($1,590) raise&nbsp;to almost one million NHS workers this year.</p>

<p>"These are challenging times for everyone and the economic circumstances mean the RCN's demands, which on current figures are a 19.2 per cent pay rise, costing £10 billion a year, are not affordable," he said.</p>

<p>In September, NHS said that nurses were skipping meals in order to clothe and feed their children and struggled to pay for growing transportation costs.</p>

<p>Due to rising energy and food prices, British inflation has been on the rise and hit a 41-year high of 11.1 per cent in October. &nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>

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Next month, thousands of nursing staff across Britain will go on strike for the first time in the 106-year history of the UK's nurses union. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) union said that staff in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland will go on strike on December 15 and 20.

Next month, thousands of nursing staff across Britain will go on strike for the first time in the 106-year history of the UK's nurses union. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) union said that staff in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland will go on strike on December 15 and 20. Nursing staff from Scotland will reportedly not participate. Watch | UK inflation rises to 41-year high at 11.1%; food, energy prices soar As per Reuters, the National Health Service (NHS) nurses' walkouts are the first in what could be a series of walkouts after the government rejected a proposal for negotiations to address demands for pay increases of five per cent over inflation. "Nursing staff have had enough of being taken for granted, enough of low pay and unsafe staffing levels, enough of not being able to give our patients the care they deserve," said Royal College of Nursing (RCN) General Secretary Pat Cullen. This will be the most recent strike in Britain. This year, numerous public and private sector employees—from lawyers to ground crew at airports—have also held protests. Also read | UK inflation soars to 41-year high before Jeremy Hunt's autumn statement Workers across a range of industries in the UK have been demanding pay increases to keep up with rising prices due to decades-high inflation and a cost-of-living problem. The nurses' strike as per AFP comes amid the first in a series of two-day walkouts by railroad workers and more stoppages by postal workers in the run-up to Christmas. Steve Barclay, the UK's health minister, shared concern over the strikes and expressed his great gratitude for the "hard work and dedication" of nurses. He said that the NHS has "tried and tested plans" to minimise disruption and guarantee emergency services are maintained. Also read | UK: High inflation casts shadow on fastest rise in wages in 20 years According to the government, it has approved independent pay proposals and will provide at least £1,400 ($1,590) raise to almost one million NHS workers this year. "These are challenging times for everyone and the economic circumstances mean the RCN's demands, which on current figures are a 19.2 per cent pay rise, costing £10 billion a year, are not affordable," he said. In September, NHS said that nurses were skipping meals in order to clothe and feed their children and struggled to pay for growing transportation costs. Due to rising energy and food prices, British inflation has been on the rise and hit a 41-year high of 11.1 per cent in October. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

British nurses to go on strike for two days in December over pay dispute

<p>"Even though this country is going through some sort of recession, the Pound still holds a lot of power as compared to Indian Rupee."&nbsp;</p>

<p>The above comment by Kritin Pandita, an Indian student who went to Britain to pursue a Master's in Data Science at the University of Nottingham a year ago, reflected the wider sentiment shared by Indians studying in Britain amid the ongoing cost of living crisis.</p>

<p>“There always has been a struggle with the prominent difference between Indian Rupee and British Pound,” Aastha Chadha, a Masters's student in Economics and Strategy for Business at London’s Imperial Business School told WION. Chadha added that the prevailing economic situation in Britain has upended the struggles of students in London and across the United Kingdom.&nbsp;</p>

<p>At present, one British Pound is equal to over ₹96.&nbsp;The UK this week reported the fastest rise in wages in 20 years but it still lagged behind the rising inflation which has accelerated to a 41-year high.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uk-high-inflation-casts-shadow-on-fastest-rise-in-wages-in-20-years-534384">UK: High inflation casts shadow on fastest rise in wages in 20 years</a></strong></p>

<p>The ongoing cost-of-living crisis has aggravated the struggles of Indian students who landed in Britain in the immediate past, said multiple students pursuing higher studies in the country, whom WION reached out to this week. If not the increased energy bills then&nbsp;the high food costs have made it all more necessary for Indian students to pick up part-time job(s) in order to stay financially afloat.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/jeremy-hunt-to-unveil-uk-autumn-budget-today-after-liz-truss-failed-experiment-534990">Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announces tax hikes, spending squeeze in £55 billion autumn budget</a></strong></p>

<p>“I have friends who work two different part-time jobs to support themselves,” Kritin Pandita told WION, adding that although “it seems unsustainable but it has become unavoidable” given the current circumstances.</p>

<p>“This crisis comes as an added pressure of cutting more, saving more, and finding alternative routes (to save expenses) more frequently now,” Aastha Chadha told WION.</p>

<p>Aastha shared that for the past month she is trying to shift from the student accommodation in which she currently lives. “No landlord has been able to give us a fair deal in terms of electricity and water bills stating that inflation has and will cause the rates to go up. I mean, how can a student compete with such high-ranging changes with so much uncertainty?”&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>WATCH |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/millions-of-people-marching-towards-starvation-as-uks-cost-of-living-crisis-deepens-526513">Millions of people marching towards starvation as UK's cost of living crisis deepens</a></strong></p>

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<p>Then there are students who are cutting off on their meals. “A lot of people among Indian students skip meals so that they could probably commute or participate in a social event with the money saved,” Kritin Pandita told WION while&nbsp;adding that a lot of students work part-time at the warehouses located on the outskirts of the city, incurring a&nbsp;significant cost of commute. Juggling part-time work with coursework, Kritin said that in the prevailing situation the “pinch of the struggle is being felt more”.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Vidhi Bubna, a student of Masters in Media and Communications at City, University of London, said that Indian students are not eating their best meals. “The commute, food, even a 200 sq. ft. student accommodation, the crisis has made everything incredibly expensive.”</p>

<p>According to a UK Parliament report published in September 2022, the government has arranged for a &nbsp;£650 Cost of Living payment&nbsp;support for students. But most full-time students, including ones from India, are not eligible to claim the support.</p>

<p>After China, India is the second non-European Union nation sending the most students to the UK. As per UK’s Higher education Statistics Agency, in 2020-21, a total of 84,555 students from India landed across the UK to pursue their higher education.&nbsp;</p>

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"Even though this country is going through some sort of recession, the Pound still holds a lot of power as compared to Indian Rupee." The above comment by Kritin Pandita, an Indian student who went to Britain to pursue a Master's in Data Science at the University of Nottingham a year ago, reflected the wider sentiment shared by Indians studying in Britain amid the ongoing cost of living crisis.

"Even though this country is going through some sort of recession, the Pound still holds a lot of power as compared to Indian Rupee." The above comment by Kritin Pandita, an Indian student who went to Britain to pursue a Master's in Data Science at the University of Nottingham a year ago, reflected the wider sentiment shared by Indians studying in Britain amid the ongoing cost of living crisis. “There always has been a struggle with the prominent difference between Indian Rupee and British Pound,” Aastha Chadha, a Masters's student in Economics and Strategy for Business at London’s Imperial Business School told WION. Chadha added that the prevailing economic situation in Britain has upended the struggles of students in London and across the United Kingdom. At present, one British Pound is equal to over ₹96. The UK this week reported the fastest rise in wages in 20 years but it still lagged behind the rising inflation which has accelerated to a 41-year high. ALSO READ | UK: High inflation casts shadow on fastest rise in wages in 20 years The ongoing cost-of-living crisis has aggravated the struggles of Indian students who landed in Britain in the immediate past, said multiple students pursuing higher studies in the country, whom WION reached out to this week. If not the increased energy bills then the high food costs have made it all more necessary for Indian students to pick up part-time job(s) in order to stay financially afloat. ALSO READ | Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announces tax hikes, spending squeeze in £55 billion autumn budget “I have friends who work two different part-time jobs to support themselves,” Kritin Pandita told WION, adding that although “it seems unsustainable but it has become unavoidable” given the current circumstances. “This crisis comes as an added pressure of cutting more, saving more, and finding alternative routes (to save expenses) more frequently now,” Aastha Chadha told WION. Aastha shared that for the past month she is trying to shift from the student accommodation in which she currently lives. “No landlord has been able to give us a fair deal in terms of electricity and water bills stating that inflation has and will cause the rates to go up. I mean, how can a student compete with such high-ranging changes with so much uncertainty?” WATCH | Millions of people marching towards starvation as UK's cost of living crisis deepens × Then there are students who are cutting off on their meals. “A lot of people among Indian students skip meals so that they could probably commute or participate in a social event with the money saved,” Kritin Pandita told WION while adding that a lot of students work part-time at the warehouses located on the outskirts of the city, incurring a significant cost of commute. Juggling part-time work with coursework, Kritin said that in the prevailing situation the “pinch of the struggle is being felt more”. Vidhi Bubna, a student of Masters in Media and Communications at City, University of London, said that Indian students are not eating their best meals. “The commute, food, even a 200 sq. ft. student accommodation, the crisis has made everything incredibly expensive.” According to a UK Parliament report published in September 2022, the government has arranged for a £650 Cost of Living payment support for students. But most full-time students, including ones from India, are not eligible to claim the support. After China, India is the second non-European Union nation sending the most students to the UK. As per UK’s Higher education Statistics Agency, in 2020-21, a total of 84,555 students from India landed across the UK to pursue their higher education. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Part-time jobs, skipped meals: Indian students in UK battle to stay afloat

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