More than 80% of Brits think the Government is badly handling the cost of living crisis, a new survey has revealed.
It’s no surprise that the rising cost of living crisis has been one of the defining political issues of the 2020s, not just here in the UK, but right across the world, and according to the shocking findings from a new YouGov survey as we enter the second half of the decade, these financial problems show no sign of disappearing.
56% of Brits, which is a clear majority, say they have been affected by cost of living pressures in recent times, with four in 10 (40%) of those, in particular, saying they have not just had to make cuts to their usual spending, but expect to have to do so again in the future.
Even though a fifth of Brits (21%) say they have been able to maintain their usual levels of spending soon, they sadly anticipate having to make some cuts soon.
Net approval of the government's managing of the cost of living has fallen to -69, lower than the -59 when the Conservatives left office last July
To really hit home just how much the country’s been affected, the new survey found that just one in five Brits (19%) say they have been able to maintain their usual levels of spending, and expect to be able to continue to do so.
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The survey also uncovered who was finding the cost of living crisis so hard to manage, with six in 10 women (60%) saying they have already had to make cuts, compared to just 51% of men, and why they are feeling the affects – with inflation rising faster than wages, on average, being the most common reason.
And when it comes to the Government’s input, responses were far from favourable.
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56% of Britons say they've had to make cuts due to cost of living pressures, with 61% expecting to have to make cuts soon
Had to make cuts, expect to make more: 40% Had to make cuts, but don't expect more: 16% Not made cuts so far, but expect to: 21% Not made cuts so far and… pic.twitter.com/7V3D011P1G
As mentioned, currently eight in 10 Brits (81%) say the Government is managing the cost of living badly, which is up from an already-high 74% last November, and is also the highest number since back in August 2023.
Just one in eight (12%) believe the Government has handled the matter well, from 15% in November.
Even among Labour voters themselves, YouGov found that there was ‘little feeling’ the Government is doing a good job, as only 22% believed it’s been positively handled, compared to two-thirds (67%) who see them as having done badly on the matter.
Featured Image – Jessica Taylor / No 10 Downing Street (via Wikimedia Commons)
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Appeal launched to find the owner of live chickens found at Creamfields festival
Daisy Jackson
The hunt is on to find the owner of a pair of chickens who were discovered at Creamfields festival.
The two birds were spotted on the grounds of the huge electronic music festival by bewildered festival-goers.
The cockerel and hen were trapped in a hedge, after it appears they wandered onto the festival campsite before the security barriers were installed.
The birds then found themselves trapped inside as around 70,000 music fans poured into Cheshire for a line-up that included Calvin Harris, Swedish House Mafia, Disclosure, and Tiësto.
The chickens have been safely rescued from the Creamfields festival site and are recovering at a wildlife centre, and now the RSPCA is on a mission to find their owner.
Festival-goers first called the RSPCA on Saturday 29 August to alert them to the cockerel and hen trapped inside the festival, one of whom assisted in the rescue mission.
RSPCA Inspector Leanne Cooper: “I was surprised that they were inside the festival site and I needed to get through the road blocks and security before reaching them on foot through muddy fields. I met the caller who helped me as they were just running up and down the hedge line where there was a wire fence blocking access.
Where the chickens were discovered at CreamfieldsThe RSPCA wants to track their owners down
“We managed to guide them out and I caught both of them with my rescue net which was a bit of a sight for the festival campers.
“I don’t think they were abandoned and they’re more likely to be stray because it’s farmland all around the festival site. They don’t have any health issues, apart from being quite underweight.
“With the fences going up a week before the festival starts they’d probably been unable to get out for some time and had been left foraging in the hedge. Someone mentioned that a third bird was also trapped, although we couldn’t find any others.
“I am really grateful to the festival-goer who found them and alerted us to their plight.”
Manchester Airport issues update for anyone flying today after hundreds of cancellations yesterday
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Airport has issued an update for anyone catching a flight today after hundreds of cancellations yesterday.
In case you hadn’t heard, hundreds of flights at several major UK airports – including Manchester Airport – were disrupted by a technical fault at air traffic control provider National Air Traffic Services (NATS) yesterday (8 September 2026), with the incident grounding planes and resulting in numerous cancellations.
According to Flightradar24, more than 1,000 flights were cancelled nationwide, and many passengers were told to expect disruption for the rest of the day.
One of the worst-affected airlines was said to be Ryanair, with around 65,000 passengers affected by the cancellations and delays.
Manchester Airport issued its first statement addressing the matter at 3:15pm yesterday, stating: “We are aware of an issue affecting NATS’ air traffic control service at UK airports, which may result in delays to some departing flights from Manchester Airport today.
“Passengers due to travel are advised to check the latest status of their flight with their airline. We will continue to monitor the situation and share further updates as more information becomes available.”
Now, although the issue has been resolved, Manchester Airport has issued further statements informing anyone travelling today what they can expect.
The airport started off by saying that it is ‘operating as normal’ today, but that passengers are advised to ‘check with their airline for the latest information’.
Emily Sergeant -
9th April 2025 
