Liz Truss officially became our Prime Minister when she visited the Queen at Balmoral yesterday to receive the royal seal of approval. But away from the pomp and ceremony, ordinary Scots are facing a tough winter of soaring fuel bills, high inflation and falling living standards.
So we spoke to a range of Daily Record readers and asked them what they want to say to their new PM. And here is what they had to say.
They demanded that Truss holds true to her promise to sort out the energy cap catastrophe that threatens millions. Readers also pleaded with Truss to listen to the concerns of ordinary voters rather than the tiny number of hardline Tory voters who have put her in office.
'This government is against the working class'
NHS worker Jamie Moore, 44, of Cessnock, Glasgow, has been forced to get two jobs to cope with rising costs for food, rent and bills. He said: “This government is instinctively against working class people and all for big business, which is a worry.
“Liz Truss idolises Margaret Thatcher, so it doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence.”
Jamie has taken to using the gym every day, which means he can wash there every morning and save on showering costs. He takes home around £1700 a month but rent and feed alone will swallow the majority of that.
Jamie already worked full-time as an NHS clerical worker but has another job as a G4S steward to supplement his income. He has also given away his car to a relative and cycles to work to keep costs down.
Jamie said a recent diagnosis of a malignant melanoma that affects his eye means he won’t be turning his heating off completely. He said: “I’m not prepared to freeze to death and I’m not inviting health trouble by living in a freezing space.
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“I’ve bought an electric blanket and I’m budgeting for bills that are much higher than usual. I believe there is a moral imperative on Liz Truss to take serious action on the fuel costs, even if it means there is a price to pay for years to come. There is a threat to people’s way of life.”
He added: “Although I’m now working more than 50 hours ever week, I feel that I’m in the place where I barely have enough to get by. I had savings but these have been whittled away and I’m like everyone else, wondering when this cost of living explosion will settle down.”
'I don't have faith in her'
Clare, 34, of Coatbridge, said: “Liz Truss keeps banging on about being a true Conservative so I don’t really have much faith in her doing the right thing by working class people.”
The analyst, who works for the Student Loans Company and also volunteers for a food bank. She lives in a housing association rented home with her dad, brother and sister - all of whom work and pay equally towards bills.
Despite having more than £100,000 coming in to the household, Clare believes the family are on the brink of poverty if costs keep going up. She said: “I have a decent job and my dad is a porter, my brother is a labourer and my sister is a legal secretary, so we’re all bringing in money.
“But the reality is that food prices, petrol and everything else is rocketing up. I couldn’t afford to live myself without being in hardship, so we’re staying together to get through this.”
Clare, who earns around £30,000 a year, said that even current costs for energy are excessive but planned increases would be impossible to afford. She said: “Liz Truss tried to look the other way with the energy crisis but she’s now made a pledge to sort it out - so I look forward to hearing about a long term plan that helps everybody.”
'She needs to do something'
Jim Forrest, 46, is unemployed and gets just £330 Universal Credit to live on each month. But £60 of that goes towards heating arrears because his home fuel bill was already too much for him to afford.
Jim, whose wife Jackie died of cancer four years ago, said: “The benefits I get aren’t enough to live on. The Tories have slashed the amount you end up with.
“I get £330 Universal Credit but a massive chunk of that is going to chasing previous energy bills. I want a pre-pay meter because that means I can’t run up the arrears again.
“The talk about huge bills just washed over me to be honest but it has not sunk in. It would drive you insane watching the smart meter and the way bill just eats through the cash.
“It’s going to be a cold winter in any case but if the cap goes up again there will be people freezing to death.”
Jim, of Carntyne, Glasgow, said it’s impossible to get by on the £65 a week he is left with. He said: “I’m not exactly expecting the new Prime Minister to help but she needs to do something.”
'She might roll up her sleeves'
Helen Croly, 48, said she fears for the worst due to Liz Truss’s obsession with Margaret Thatcher. Helen, from Pollok, Glasgow, is struggling to make ends meet and heating the family’s damp three bedroom home is going to be impossible, even if the current cap is frozen.
She said: “Liz Truss has made a promise to sort this problem out and she is going to have to deliver or it will be the end of her. She models herself on Margaret Thatcher, who I don’t have much of a liking for, and that sets alarm bells because she was a disaster for working class people and their jobs.
“But I will say that Thatcher did what she said she would, even if she was getting flak from all sides. So if Liz Truss truly identifies the fuel bills as a crisis then she might roll up her sleeves and do something that makes a difference.
“It’s pretty bad that she’s only waking up to the huge scale of things now but she definitely needs to live up to her promise and make sure people can heat their homes this winter.”
Helen lives with partner Colin and four children, with less than £2,000 coming into the home each month via benefits. Even modest heating use during a cold winter would swallow up much of that if the cap goes up.
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