Latest news with #costOfLivingCrisis
The Independent
a day ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Swinney – Reform voters in Hamilton by-election ‘angry', not racist
John Swinney has said Scots who voted for Reform in a by-election last week were 'angry', not racist. The First Minister was asked on the BBC Scotland's Sunday Show if those who backed Reform were 'gullible' or 'racist' – a term the SNP leader has previously used to describe the party. Mr Swinney said the 7,088 people who backed Reform – more than a quarter of the vote – in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse ballot were 'neither', but were instead 'angry at the cost-of-living crisis'. He added: 'I think that's what motivates the Reform vote. People have got poorer because of one central thing – Brexit, and the author of that is (Reform UK leader Nigel) Farage. 'I'm standing up to Farage. I'm going to make no apology for it.' He said the SNP is 'in the process of recovery' and he had come into office as First Minister a year ago 'inheriting some significant difficulties' within the party, and that it needs to get stronger before the Holyrood election in 2026. He said voters are 'having to work hard for less' and are concerned about public services, particularly the NHS. Mr Swinney was asked about comments he made prior to the vote saying 'Labour were not at the races' and claiming it was a 'two-horse race' between the SNP and Reform. Labour's Davy Russell gained the seat from the SNP with 8,559 votes, while SNP candidate Katy Loudon came second on 7,957, ahead of Reform's Ross Lambie. The First Minister said that since the general election campaign last year, people he has met have pledged never to vote Labour due to the winter fuel allowance being cut, while Reform's support increased. Mr Swinney said: 'People were telling us on the doorsteps, they were giving us reasons why they weren't supporting Labour. We could also see that Farage's support was rising dramatically and that's happening across the United Kingdom, it's not unique to Hamilton. 'I positioned the SNP to be strong enough to stop Farage, and that's what we were determined to do.' Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has branded the SNP's campaign 'dishonest and disgraceful' and said it had put the spotlight on Reform. Those comments were put to the First Minister, who said he had previously been allies with Mr Sarwar in a campaign to 'stand up to far-right thinking'. Mr Swinney said: 'That was months ago and then we found ourselves in the aftermath of the UK local authority elections, the English local authority elections where Farage surged to a leading position and won a by-election south of the border. 'So the dynamic of our politics change in front of us. 'I've been standing up to Farage for months, I've been warning about the dangers of Farage for months, and they crystallised in the rise of Farage during the Hamilton, Stonehouse and Larkhall by-election.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Swinney – Reform voters in Hamilton by-election ‘angry', not racist
John Swinney has said Scots who voted for Reform in a by-election last week were 'angry', not racist. The First Minister was asked on the BBC Scotland's Sunday Show if those who backed Reform were 'gullible' or 'racist' – a term the SNP leader has previously used to describe the party. Mr Swinney said the 7,088 people who backed Reform – more than a quarter of the vote – in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse ballot were 'neither', but were instead 'angry at the cost-of-living crisis'. He added: 'I think that's what motivates the Reform vote. People have got poorer because of one central thing – Brexit, and the author of that is (Reform UK leader Nigel) Farage. 'I'm standing up to Farage. I'm going to make no apology for it.' He said the SNP is 'in the process of recovery' and he had come into office as First Minister a year ago 'inheriting some significant difficulties' within the party, and that it needs to get stronger before the Holyrood election in 2026. He said voters are 'having to work hard for less' and are concerned about public services, particularly the NHS. Mr Swinney was asked about comments he made prior to the vote saying 'Labour were not at the races' and claiming it was a 'two-horse race' between the SNP and Reform. Labour's Davy Russell gained the seat from the SNP with 8,559 votes, while SNP candidate Katy Loudon came second on 7,957, ahead of Reform's Ross Lambie. The First Minister said that since the general election campaign last year, people he has met have pledged never to vote Labour due to the winter fuel allowance being cut, while Reform's support increased. Mr Swinney said: 'People were telling us on the doorsteps, they were giving us reasons why they weren't supporting Labour. We could also see that Farage's support was rising dramatically and that's happening across the United Kingdom, it's not unique to Hamilton. 'I positioned the SNP to be strong enough to stop Farage, and that's what we were determined to do.' Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has branded the SNP's campaign 'dishonest and disgraceful' and said it had put the spotlight on Reform. Those comments were put to the First Minister, who said he had previously been allies with Mr Sarwar in a campaign to 'stand up to far-right thinking'. Mr Swinney said: 'That was months ago and then we found ourselves in the aftermath of the UK local authority elections, the English local authority elections where Farage surged to a leading position and won a by-election south of the border. 'So the dynamic of our politics change in front of us. 'I've been standing up to Farage for months, I've been warning about the dangers of Farage for months, and they crystallised in the rise of Farage during the Hamilton, Stonehouse and Larkhall by-election.'
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Daily Mail
I moved to regional Australia because I thought it would be easier than living in a big city... but here's why it's not working out
A young woman struggling with the cost-of-living crisis has revealed how moving to the country for a cheaper lifestyle has backfired as there are no jobs available. Larissa, 28, said her conception of a hardworking but comfortable life had been shattered by the current economic conditions. She said in a TikTok video life was tough for those in their 20s and 30s and she often wondered 'what is the point?' She said many young Australians had been sold the idea they could go to university, get a degree and get a good job before being set for life. 'And that job is meant to pay for a house and maybe a holiday once a year, and maybe you'd have some kids,' she said. 'And that's like not happening now and you're kind of just like, what's the actual point of anything?' Larissa said she thought, by her age, she might have 'a three-bedroom house' and be 'thinking about kids and maybe be successful' in her career. The disgruntled Aussie was interrupted by a sound in the background of the video, saying it came from her landlord's grandchildren because she lived in a 'tiny studio'. 'And no, I don't live in Melbourne or Sydney. I moved regional to try and save money and there's no jobs out here,' she clarified. 'Anyway, it's kind of just made me reassess my whole life. Like what am I doing? Should I just go travelling? 'I'm the type of person to plan everything but I'm just kind of feeling like f*** it. Do I just do what makes me happy?' More than 3,000 social media users weighed in, many saying they felt similar impulses. 'We have a doctor and lawyer in the family and they can't afford houses in Sydney where they work,' one commiserated. '(I'm) in my 30's, I'm the highest paid person in my extended family, minimal debt, in secure employment and it's miserable,' another said. 'I still cant buy a house – local or regional – so we're using money to travel and see the world.' 'That's exactly where we are at. We are miserable in Australia at the moment,' a third wrote. 'I'm 27 with a degree and living in a studio too, working full time and just spent my Sunday morning on Seek applying for weekend work,' one woman agreed. 'Median wage is $75,000 average rent is over $700 a week. The country is cooked,' another added, quoting Sydney unit rental averages. Another added simply, 'Australia is broken'. 'It's a mince meat, cask wine future,' another joked. Others, however, offered some harsher advice. 'I'm mid 40s. I felt like that in my 20s. It's called being in your 20s,' one wrote. ''Should I just go travelling?' There's your problem,' another said. 'If you are 28 and you don't have at least 80k in your bank account to use as a deposit and or a career that will enable you to get a loan of $650k then it's your fault you are where you are now at 28.'
BBC News
25-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Leeds restaurateurs discuss high-end dining amid cost of living crisis
In a waterfront dining space in Leeds, chef Liz Cottam is focused. It is only noon, but she has a big group booking later and her team is small. She has not had a day off in 11 weeks, she says. Her new Holbeck-based venture, emba, has opened just months after the Masterchef semi-finalist's nearby fine dining restaurant, HOME, was forced to close. There, customers would routinely spend up to £300 a head on her 14-course tasting menu and the waiting list for a table could be up to six restaurant, which opened in 2017, was her "diamond and ruby-encrusted cup" and represented what she thought was expected of her. But HOME closed in late 2024 due to economic pressures, with the year a low point for the higher end of the Leeds gastronomy O'Hare, whose Man Behind the Curtain restaurant earned Leeds' first Michelin star in a decade, shut his latest venture the same week as Home's closure. "The reasons were circumstantial, environmental pressures on the level that we were both operating at," Liz to UK Hospitality, the number of restaurants trading across Yorkshire has dropped by about 1,000 since Leeds, the number of eateries has dropped by 8% over the same time frame. Liz says that in a post-pandemic world, demand for elaborate meals has dwindled and the cost of living crisis has costs have also soared. Liz recalls the "horror" of oil and butter becoming eight times more expensive, with HOME's monthly electricity bill jumping from £1,200 a month to £12,000."The demand went down and the costs went up and there was just absolutely no chance of passing that on to continue." For Liz, who has also appeared on the BBC's Great British Menu, the stress of trying to "hustle" and keep things afloat crept up on her. "In the beginning we we thought it might be a blip," she says."We hoped it was going to be something that we could combat with some hard work and some good business management, but no, not at all." Liz, 49, says she wanted to go down "playing her cello" like on the sinking Titanic, rather than resorting to big discounts or returning briefly to the corporate world for some "financial breathing space", Liz created the concept of emba, named after the coal fires most of her food is cooked on. But this time, she had to think of alternative ways of funding the concept."It just felt really obvious to try and dip our toe in the water in the crowdfunding sphere," she hit its £45,000 target in three weeks, with the total eventually reaching £67,000."Your ego needs to be parked, thrown out really," says Liz."I think I'm now a lot more humble after going through this process."She says emba's food is less theatrical and more "soulful and heart-led". "It's still creative, but served without the fuss." A short walk away, another Masterchef alumnus is opening a new restaurant - the Cinnamon Kitchen at the Queens Hotel, led by Vivek Singh. It is his first outpost in the north and billed as Leeds' first Indian fine dining restaurant. But why here, in light of two recent high-profile hospitality closures? Vivek says: "The short, easy answer to that, is why not Leeds?" He says the hotel's proximity to the railway station was a major grand surroundings of the hotel was also part of the decision, he says, along with the availability of local who plans on making Yorkshire rhubarb one of his signature dishes, adds: "I want to celebrate the farmer and the seasons in West Yorkshire." The 54-year-old was born and trained as a chef in Bengal and opened his first restaurant in the UK in London in 2001. Now launching his sixth opening, Vivek seems fearless about the risks - despite food prices continuing to see a gradual rise."Sometimes it just feels right," he says."I opened my second restaurant in London two weeks after the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008. "It had 250 seats and was still busy." Vivek, who sold the Cinnamon Collection to the Boparan Restaurant Group in 2016, continues: "Our producers need to be fairly rewarded and good, quality ingredients are not cheap."Eating out is not something you should do every night anyway - if you do there is something wrong." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
