Letters: Sunak is one of Britain’s richest men – how can he relate to people on benefits?

Big Issue readers react to our articles on the rising cost of everything, Rishi Sunak, the new Netflix series Eric, Liz Carr’s letter to her younger self and the knock-on effects of homelessness.

Counting the cost of Sunak’s reign

It is unbelievable what Rishi Sunak is doing to this country and no one is doing anything about it. Sunak is one of the richest men in the country. How can he possibly relate to people on benefits and pensioners trying to survive on £900 per month? Council tax payments alone cost between £250 and £300 for a modest home.

Why isn’t he stopping the profiteering? Supermarkets, petrol stations, banks, energy companies, insurance companies, need I go on? Countless businesses are making obscene profits while people struggle to put food on the table, keep warm and cope with the rise of day-to-day living expenses. Not many people can enjoy a decent standard of living in the UK. Our food quality is appalling, our standing charges for electricity alone are at £0.69 per day, that’s over £20 per month just for the privilege of having an electricity supply. This is disgusting and NO ONE is doing anything about it. One year ago I was paying £0.16 per day how can these companies raise this charge by over 400%?

Can you as a voice for the people on benefits raise these issues? I hope so.

Michele Beavis

The far-away right

Every week, friendly and good natured middle-class customers buy Big Issue outside Waitrose from a delightful and cheerful vendor. Most of us chat and give very willingly – usually more than the cover price. What do we get to read? Every Conservative thought or person is derided as ‘far right’. Yet very few Conservatives I have met in Kent – in fact, none – are far right. Whereas every single letter in this week’s Big Issue is quite definitely far left. For years I have bought your magazine; do you think you could calm down a bit and be a bit more reasonable and British? Try talking to your customers, not just yourselves.

Peers Carter, Kent

Puppet Master

Thank you for your lovely feature on Eric [Issue 1617, 27 May-02 June]. However, you missed out a critical member of the cast – Eric! The puppet was designed and operated (and probably made) by the wonderful Olly Taylor, and although we don’t see or hear him, Benedict Cumberbatch was very pleased with the way that Eric worked and how easy he was to act with and gave Olly great reviews in an article in Variety recently.

Ronni Lamont, Sittingbourne

Nice Carr

I read an article about Liz Carr in your magazine [Issue 1615, 13-19 May] and I wanted you to tell her just how fantastic I think she is, and how elegant she looks in her leopard-skin coat. I am a lady criminal law barrister (retired at the moment) and I would like to see Ms Carr playing a barrister on TV. I think she would be really good because her intelligence just comes through in all that she does. I really am a great big fan of this lady. I think she is a moral warrior. And she gets people thinking with her soft Scouse voice; it’s a nice voice with a London overtone. She is very impressive – a moral gladiator! It’s not often that people impress me these days in this sinking country but Liz has arrested my attention and raised my spirits.

 Christine Hendrickson

Sunak’s plane speaking

While it’s great Rishi Sunak has said that no Rwanda planes will take off before the election, what a colossal loss of taxpayer money and time. What utter contempt they have for us. We should recoup this money from Sunak’s personal fortune.

@_falconet_, Instagram

Problem solvers

John Bird has noted that discussions about the underlying causes of poverty are often neglected, primarily focusing on providing relief to those in poverty. I agree. However, it is crucial to acknowledge that while the root causes are addressed, the consequences of poverty require equal attention.

Solving problems creates revenue for the problem solver and the organisations behind them. These organisations rely on a number of people to utilise their sales or services and sustain their operations. Organisations for the homeless ensure service utilisation through outreach, tailored services, collaboration with referral agencies, supportive housing programmes and advocacy efforts.

The positions within these organisations create employment opportunities. These positions are essential in providing not just services, coordinating with referral agencies, implementing supportive housing programmes and advocating for the unhoused population, but also a financial vehicle for those employed and the ones who are board members who have come to rely on the income their prevention generates.

Eric Protein Moseley

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about these topics? We want to hear from you. Get in touch and tell us more.

This article is taken from The Big Issue magazine, which exists to give homeless, long-term unemployed and marginalised people the opportunity to earn an income. To support our work buy a copy!

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