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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Business
Jeremy Armstrong

Elderly Tory voter forced to sell his assets as heating home now costs £3,000 a year

Widower John Rowland, a lifelong Tory voter, lives in a remote stone cottage high on the North Yorkshire moors in Rishi Sunak 's Richmond constituency.

While Mr Sunak is building a swimming pool at his home, Tory voters like Mr Rowland are struggling to make ends meet.

Heating for his 600-year-old property has rocketed to £3,000-a-year, even 'turned down to the lowest setting'.

His pensions add up to around £1,300 a month. In the past three years, he has had to draw down on savings just to make ends meet following the death of his partner.

He needs to take out £500-a-month to meet his basic shopping and fuel bills but says: "My heart bleeds for the people who don't have that money to draw on.

John Rowland lives in a remote stone cottage high on the North Yorkshire moors (Andy Commins / Daily Mirror)

"Single old aged pensioners are finding it very difficult and even couples are having to be careful. Do we start selling things? That is one of the questions - I have started selling assets.

"This country is in one hell of a state. I have always voted Conservative. But I don't particularly like Boris Johnson.

"I don't think his morals are quite what they should be.

"Is there anybody better at the moment? My MP here is the Chancellor Mr Sunak and he has been accused of a lot of things as well. So has Mr Starmer.

"I think MPs live in a different world, do they really understand how the ordinary man and woman lives? I don't think they do. People are concerned about it.

"Paying half a million pounds to take people on a plane to Rwanda with seven people on it. Just to hire one plane. It just does not add up."

The elderly Tory voter is struggling to make ends meet (Andy Commins / Daily Mirror)

He spends around £50-a-week on food, his telephone bill is £36-a-month, he has to pay an annual council tax bill of £1,500 and spends £115-a-month on transport costs.

He does voluntary work for Age UK, who spent hours helping him receive support even though the charity has been hit by cuts to funding.

But even their vital charity work is facing unprecedented demands.

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