With inflation at its highest rate for 40 years, and the poorest hit hardest - how are you being affected?

·1 hr 30 min·5 clips

A caller reveals his wife has stage four cancer while their energy bill rises by £150 a month.

The episode begins with Eddie Mair introducing the headline inflation rate of 9%, the highest in 40 years, and immediately shifts to soliciting listener experiences. He asks what price increases people notice most, such as energy, food, driving, and clothing, emphasizing personal over official figures. Early in the show, Carl Emerson, Deputy Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, provides analysis, revealing that inflation is not uniform: lower-income households experience rates around 12% due to higher spending on essentials like fuel and food. Listener calls form a core part, with Natalia explaining her £40 monthly pay rise is entirely consumed by fuel costs for her commute, forcing her family to switch to cheaper food options like chicken nuggets. Another caller, Ian, shares his wife's stage four lung cancer diagnosis and their energy bill rising by £150, questioning why electricity prices are so high in the UK. LBC reporters Charlotte Lynch and Lily Keane give on-the-ground updates from supermarkets in Clapham Junction and Newcastle, noting specific price hikes—milk up 13%, chicken up 10%—and how shoppers are cutting back. Financial advisor Timmy Merriman-Johnson discusses practical tips, like budgeting weekly and switching to own-brand products, based on a poll of his Instagram followers. The episode also touches on political debates, with mentions of Prime Minister's Questions where Keir Starmer raised the case of Phoenix, a man on dialysis skipping meals due to energy costs. Later segments cover climate change, with Clare Newell from the World Meteorological Organization detailing record-breaking ocean heat and sea levels, and Adair Turner discussing renewable energy transitions. Updates on Ukraine include the first war crimes trial of a Russian soldier and the siege at Azovstal. The show concludes with business news and a report on Martin Reynolds, the official involved in Partygate, potentially becoming ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

As heard by us

A 9% inflation figure lands as a monthly shortfall and a plain question about how one household adapts.

Eddie Mair's LBC programme makes the 9% inflation figure feel less like a statistic and more like a monthly squeeze. Its strongest stretch stays with Chris, a deputy head teacher who says the national insurance rise and higher energy bills have left him more than 300 a month…

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Want the 9% inflation figure translated into the bills of a deputy head teacher?

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