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The Halo Centre in Coventry, central England, is the main distribution point for 14 food banks in the city

UK cost-of-living crisis pushes mothers to the brink

At an east London church on a bitterly cold winter's day, Beautine Wester-Okiya picks her way through boxes of donated baby clothes, toys and other assorted items destined for local people battered by the UK's cost-of-living crisis.
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Shoppers crossing the road in Oxford Street, London

UK consumer mood slides back to near 50-year low - GfK

British consumer sentiment fell for the first time in three months in January, returning near to historic lows as concerns about the economy and the soaring cost of living tightened the squeeze on household finances, research showed on Friday.