‘I stay off scraps from my little lady’s plate – this is my message to Andy Burnham’

EXCLUSIVE: As Andy Burnham promises ‘breathing space’ for struggling families with the scrapping of VAT on electricity bills, a single dad in fuel poverty has shared the harrowing reality of his daily life

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A father who has suffered the raw indignities of fuel poverty has spoken out following the announcement that millions of UK households will benefit from the removal of VAT on electricity bills

In what marks one of his first acts at the helm of Number 10, Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledged “immediate action to cut taxes on energy bills, put more money in people’s pockets and bring back hope”.

Intended to give households some “breathing space” amid the ongoing cost of living crisis, this measure is expected to knock £45 off the average bill.

For struggling parents like Andrew Anderson, who has been forced to live off leftover scraps to cover his bills, it’s a welcome move forward, but there’s still a long way to go before the agonies of fuel poverty can be alleviated.

Speaking with the Mirror, Andrew, 44, says: “Change has to start somewhere, and I am happy that in his first few days the new Prime Minister is thinking of the people who have the least. To be honest, the money I save on the scrapping of VAT on my electricity for a few months won’t change anything, but it starts towards helping.

Unable to work because of a severe autoimmune disease, devoted dad Andrew does everything in his power to shield his young daughter, Mia, from the grinding financial instability he faces every day, exacerbated by steep energy costs. Last year, Andrew lost two stone from a lack of food, regularly skipping meals to ensure Mia didn’t go hungry.

The Fife-based father routinely resorts to living off leftovers from his daughter’s plate, and can’t remember the last time he bought himself clothes. Back in May, it was revealed that the Ofgem price cap would skyrocket by 13 per cent to £1,862 a year for a typical dual-fuel household paying by direct debit. This marks an increase of £221, forcing families to find an extra £18 a month, and piling additional pressure onto households already on the brink.

Speaking with the Mirror at the time, an audibly emotional Andrew asked: “What are you supposed to do? Are you supposed to heat your home? Are you supposed to eat food?” Andrew described his current existence as “a living hell,” as he fights to clothe and feed a rapidly growing child.

He shared: “I’m down to two pairs of trackie bottoms now that I have to constantly rotate. I have to watch when I put the washing machine on for my little girl’s school clothes, because she’s nine years old now and shooting through the roof.”

To cope with the price hike, Andrew is cutting back to the bare minimum: no after-school clubs, no “doing anything nice together”, and only buying the cheapest food. Andrew said, “I’m going to have to stop putting the heating on at all when my daughter’s not in the house. It’s going to be an awful, awful cycle.”

Andrew likened his situation to “banging your head off against a brick wall”, questioning how people can be driven to such devastating circumstances in the UK.

When asked this week about Burnham’s pledge to put the cost of living crisis at the heart of his government, the struggling dad said: “What I would say is that Andy Burham can’t just try to save people money; he also has to make sure that people who have the least currently have more going forward.

“That’s why I really want to see him bring in what the Trussell Trust is campaigning for – the rate of Universal Credit being set at what things actually cost so that when people need a bit of help, they can actually afford things like food and toiletries, which he doesn’t have the power to reduce the cost of”.

Given his compromised immune system, Andrew anticipates spending the winter months constantly ill, noting that “Scotland is a cold place.” But his biggest fear isn’t his physical health – it’s what impact it will have on his daughter. “I’m having to sit in here and hide all this for my little girl, but she’s going to notice this year that her dad’s ill,” Andrew said. “She hates it when I’m ill. It’s horrible. She’s already lost her mum. She is scared that something will happen to me.”

On Tuesday, Downing Street announced that the Government would remove VAT from domestic electricity bills from October 1, with the next price cap announcement in late August.

Small businesses that qualify for the domestic energy VAT relief, charities, and residential care homes eligible for the reduced rate will also see their bills slashed. It’s understood this new measure, estimated to cost £850 million in 2026-27, will be covered by savings from the widely criticised and now-scrapped digital ID programme. There are fears, however, that this won’t be enough to offer relief to the poorest households.

Helen Barnard, Director of Policy and Research at the Trussell Trust, tells the Mirror: “The proposal to cut VAT on electricity bills is a welcome sign that the Prime Minister recognises the pressures families are facing. But it will do little for people on the very lowest incomes who are being forced to turn to food banks because they can’t afford the essentials.

“In the last year alone, 2.6 million emergency food parcels were distributed to people facing hunger and severe hardship in the UK. That’s equivalent to a parcel every 12 seconds. This is an unacceptable reality.

“We need to see more targeted support for people at the sharpest end of the cost-of-living crisis. Right now, too many families are being forced to make impossible decisions between paying the bills and putting food on the table.

“That’s why we need the UK Government to lift the freeze on Local Housing Allowance, so more people are protected from rising rent costs, and take steps towards an Essentials Guarantee. This would ensure the basic rate of Universal Credit at least covers the cost of essentials – like food and toiletries.”

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