The Minimum Income Standard (MIS) sets out a vision of the living standards that we, as a society, agree everyone in the UK should be able to achieve. In 2022, the rising cost of living presents the most significant challenge to living standards for many years, and comes after a period of social and economic uncertainty resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a growing gap between what people have and what people need for a decent standard of living. Millions of people in the UK risk falling well short of this standard as costs continue to rise, and our social security system fails to provide adequate and appropriate support. Short-term support measures will only go so far; we need a social security system that is fit for today.
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