Some Africans in the United Kingdom have expressed mixed feelings over Andy Burnham’s first Budget as Prime Minister, highlighting the need for the Labour government to tackle the soaring cost of living and restore the financial confidence of households struggling to make ends meet.
Speaking with The Africa Media across the UK about their views on the Budget, some Africans expressed cautious optimism about its outlook, while others welcomed measures designed to provide households with some relief from rising energy costs ahead of winter.
At the unveiling of the Autumn Budget on Wednesday, October 28, Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey announced a series of policies which he described as measures for the working people of Britain, many of whom have experienced mounting financial pressures in recent years.
Addressing one of the biggest concerns facing households, the cost of living, Healey announced that up to 20 million households in England would receive a one-off payment of £100 towards their energy bills from January 2027. The payment will be available to households in council tax bands A to D, while the devolved administrations will receive funding to provide comparable support.
The Chancellor also announced a 3.9 per cent increase in the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage from April 2027. The National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and above will rise from £12.71 to £13.21 an hour, a move expected to benefit millions of low-paid workers.
The government also confirmed that single bus fares will be capped at £2 in England outside London for one year from January 2027, alongside an extension of the temporary reduction in VAT on domestic electricity supplies until July 2027.
While the announcements offer some immediate financial relief, reactions among Africans interviewed by The Africa Media suggest that many remain unconvinced that the measures will be sufficient to address the deeper economic challenges confronting ordinary residents.
For some, the immediate concern is not necessarily the size of government announcements but whether they will translate into meaningful improvements in household finances.
Expressing her views on the Budget, Luton-based Lerato Edwards said many households were struggling to cope with everyday expenses, with some forced to make difficult choices between essential needs.
“Many of us are really struggling to make ends meet in the UK. We jump from pillar to post to feed and cater for ourselves. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been forced to skip meals, but I still fall behind on my bills.
“I hope this Budget will address all of those financial trappings and struggles, make a visible impact on household spending and provide many workers with the decent standard of living they need to thrive,” she said.
The increase in the minimum wage may provide some additional income for low-paid workers, but the question remains whether the rise will be enough to keep pace with the cost of essential goods and services.
Bimbo Duduyemi, a data analyst based in Portsmouth, described the Budget as “patronising”, arguing that it fell short of the bold economic thinking and ambitious policies needed to put the British economy on a stronger footing.
The Nigerian, who moved to the UK in 2022, said she remained pessimistic about the government’s economic outlook.
“Pardon me, I’m pessimistic about the outlook of the budget. The UK economy is in a bad state, and the right response should be an audacious budget and not small measures fiscal policy with unclear projections. Honestly, I’m not sure this budget can make any positive difference on the economy.”
A Ghanaian carer based in Gateshead, Yvonne Edwards, admitted that she had not fully read the details of the Budget but hoped the announcements would address the cost of living and improve salaries for care workers like her.
She said: “Things are getting tougher every day and we are only trying to survive. I hope the budget raised support system for struggling households like mine. They should ensure prices of commodities go down. I’m happy that the bus fare will be capped at £2 from next year in parts of the UK, but we still need more.”
The concern about the wider economic environment was also raised by another Ghanaian resident, who chose to be identified as Hakeem Idris.
He expressed fears that instability in the Middle East and its potential consequences for international energy markets could undermine the government’s efforts to ease household financial pressures.
“My fear is that the war in the Middle East may outstrip all the economic cushions the government is trying to build around the budget. We only hope that those involved would allow reason to prevail and save all of us the headache. The bigger picture for me is for the government to make permanent changes to the economy.”
Meanwhile, Anthony Barnes from Sierra Leone called on the government to consider increasing the personal tax-free allowance to £15,000, arguing that working people were left with increasingly limited disposable income after meeting their financial obligations.
He maintained that the amount available to ordinary workers after taxation and essential expenditure was becoming smaller, even as the cost of living continued to rise.
On her part, Michelle Owusu, a self-employed person in Manchester, said the Budget would mean little to her until she could see tangible improvements in her personal finances.
She argued that rising food prices and the increasing cost of services had made her reconsider even routine spending, adding that financial caution had become an unavoidable part of everyday life.
Clearly, the Budget may have given some measures of relief to African communities in the UK, but how their current financial woes would turn from small measures of support from the government to a permanent, stable and affordable cost of living is what is left to be seen in the coming days.
