Stalls selling cut price clothing outside at Bethnal Green market on 16th August 2023 in London, United Kingdom. With the UK population struggling to make ends meet, the ‘cost of living crisis’ refers to the fall in ‘real’ disposable incomes after taxes and benefits that the UK has experienced since late 2021. It is being caused predominantly by high inflation outstripping wage and benefit increases and has been further exacerbated by recent tax increases. While energy and fuel prices playing a crucial role in the cost of consumer goods.