Forty percent of people claiming Universal Credit are skipping meals to survive, new research from the Trussell Trust reveals.

The food bank charity has published new research that shows the impact of the cost of living crisis on those on the lowest incomes.

The research, a YouGov survey of 1,846 people in receipt of Universal Credit during August 2022, found that more than two million people had skipped meals across the previous three months to keep up with other essential costs.

Around 38% said they had gone a whole day with no food at all or just one meal in the last month because they couldn’t afford to buy enough food.

One in five (21%) people were unable to cook hot food this summer as they couldn’t afford to use the cooker, while almost a quarter (23%) have been unable to travel to work or essential appointments because they couldn’t afford the cost of public transport or fuel.

The charity also found that almost two-thirds (64%) of Universal Credit claimants had to spend July’s first cost of living payment from the Government on food.

Emma Revie, chief executive at the Trussell Trust, said: ‘The reality is that, instead of providing a lifeline when our circumstances change, financial support such as Universal Credit is leaving people – 41% of whom are working - without enough income to stay warm, fed and dry. It’s pushing people to the doors of food banks, and that’s simply not right.?If people are to have enough money to live with dignity, we need strong systems that lift us out of hardship rather than plunging us deeper into poverty.?

‘The Government must act now to protect people from harm.?This means at least doubling the additional support offered to people on the lowest incomes and rethinking the deductions from the very payments that are meant to help them. If you agree everyone should be able to afford life’s essentials, join us in calling for a stronger social security system that provides security every day, not just in times of national crisis.’