Compassionate approach needed as inflation continues to rise - The Yorkshire Post says

The cost of food and non-alcoholic drinks rocketed 16.2 per cent in October, in comparison to the same month last year, with some products having jumped by even more.

This will inevitably mean more and more people turning to food banks. The whole idea of food banks was to support the few who fall on hard times, not become a lifeline for large parts of the nation as they can’t make ends meet through no fault of their own.

These food banks themselves will struggle as donations inevitably dry up with those wanting to help unable to do so because of their own precarious financial position.

The rise in the cost of groceries has been accelerated by the war in Ukraine. But we cannot blame the Ukrainians for fighting for their freedom. Attacks on civilian infrastructure show the existential threat they face from Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

As the Chancellor prepares to stand at the despatch box and deliver what he has already intimated will be a painful Autumn Statement, the Government must remember Rishi Sunak’s first words as Prime Minster on the steps of 10 Downing Street, when he said he would bring “compassion to the challenges we face today”.

There is also the spectre of recession, with the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) warning of a “lethal combination of recession and runaway inflation” unless Jeremy Hunt acts.

Despite the Energy Price Guarantee, rising gas and electricity prices drove headline inflation to its highest level for over 40 years. It highlights the need to get a grip of the energy crisis.