Over 500,000 people sign up to Enough is Enough campaign

With the latest energy price cap sending energy bills soaring to £3,459 a year, campaigns urging the government to do more to tackle the cost of living crisis have been cropping up all over the UK. 

The Enough is Enough campaign is the latest movement to gather momentum with over 500,000 people registered and dozens of rallies planned this month to protest against the rising cost of living which organisers argue will result in people struggling to pay their bills and, in some cases, dying. 

In this article, we’ll outline what the Enough is Enough campaign is, what the movement is trying to achieve, what other campaigns have emerged, and what action is needed to put a stop to further financial hardship. 

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What is the Enough is Enough campaign?

The Enough is Enough campaign was launched on August 8 in a bid to fight the cost of living crisis and has been backed by a number of unions, politicians and commentators, including Labour MP Zarah Sultana and RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch who is urging people to “turn anger into action”.

Its core aim is to “win back dignity for working-class people” in the UK as the country faces further economic turmoil and financial experts warn that energy bills could be capped at £7,700 a year from April. 

The campaign – which attracted so much interest in its first few days that the website crashed – plans to get its message across by forming community groups and organising rallies to take action against the companies profiting from the cost of living crisis at the expense of the consumer.

It made a call for more people to take a stand and get involved on social media: “If you’re struggling to get by and your wages don’t cover the bills, if you’re fed up working harder for less and you’re worried about the future, or if you just can’t stand to see what’s happening to our country – join us.” 

What is the Enough is Enough campaign trying to achieve?

The Enough is Enough campaign plans to put pressure on the government, big businesses and energy companies to achieve a specific set of goals, including increasing workers’ wages and slashing energy bills. 

In doing so, it published a series of specific demands it hopes the movement will achieve including a real pay rise, slash energy bills, end food poverty, decent homes for all, and tax the rich. 

This also stretches to community kitchens, universal free school meals, rent caps, reinstating the £20-a-week Universal Credit uplift and a government commitment to build more than 100,000 public and council houses a year. 

General Secretary of the Communication Workers Union (CWU), Dave Ward, said: “We will force change by taking our message into every single corner of the UK…It’s time for trade unions, community groups and workers to come together like we haven’t seen in decades – because that is the scale of this crisis.”

What other campaigns have emerged?

The Enough is Enough campaign is the latest in a string of movements founded with the aim of putting pressure on the government to tackle the ongoing cost of living crisis. 

Don’t Pay UK is a grassroots campaign that was launched on June 18 and has attracted over 130,000 supporters that have made a pledge to cancel their energy payments on October 1 when the latest energy price cap comes into effect.

It is hoped these campaigns will trigger a similar response to the protests and riots that took place up and down the country in the late 1980s and early 1990s when the highly contested Community Charge (poll tax) was introduced before being scrapped due to mounting unrest. 

But MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis – who has been the voice of reason during the cost of living crisis – has urged homeowners to assess the risks involved before taking drastic action and refusing to pay energy bills as this could lead to further financial problems down the line.

What action is needed?

The ongoing cost of living crisis is having a devastating impact on people’s personal finances and with further price hikes announced, action is needed before we find ourselves on the brink of both a human and economic disaster. 

But despite growing concern, the government has remained relatively tight-lipped since the announcement of the £15 billion cost of living crisis package in May with these payments continuing to be rolled out until the end of the year. 

There have been hints that further government support is in the pipeline but with Boris Johnson reassuring people that his successor (Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak) would be able to provide a “further package of support” when they take over the role, he has been accused of taking a backseat.

Some customers are also being warned that the latest energy price cap could come into effect before October 1, making it increasingly clear that action is needed before then to not only help people to pay the bills but, for some, to avoid falling into extreme poverty as the temperature outside drops and the price of energy rises.