VIDEO. “Survival has become very hard”: the British face their worst economic crisis for 40 years

"It's very hard to survive at the moment," said Muhammad, who runs a small fishmonger's shop in Thornton Heath, north of Croydon, south London.

In this very popular district, the death of Queen Elizabeth II occurs at the heart of a social and economic crisis of rare violence in the United Kingdom.

In July, inflation already reached 10.1% over one year, a level which had not been raised for 40 years.

“Just as our customers have difficulties, we feel these difficulties,” laments the merchant, who is now struggling to honor his bills.

"It's way too expensive, especially electricity and food," also regrets Peace, a mother who lives a few streets away.

"With 5 pounds, you can't buy anything at all."

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"I think [the Queen's death] couldn't have happened at a worse time," said Graham, a retiree from the neighborhood.

“There is a real urgency,” insists this soft-spoken septuagenarian.

If the consequences of the Queen's death are so concrete for the most disadvantaged Britons, it is because the 10-day period of national mourning plunges the country into an uncertain parenthesis.

On September 8, just hours after news of the monarch's death was announced, new Prime Minister Liz Truss pledged to push through a plan worth more than £150 billion to ease the energy bill for homes and businesses.

With the suspension of parliamentary work, this plan may not be debated and voted on before the spike in energy prices on October 1, even if Downing Street assures that these measures will come into force thanks to direct agreements with the suppliers of electricity. energy.

Another concrete consequence: the Bank of England will not be able to adjust its rates and lower inflation before the end of September.

Britons like Peace, Graham or Muhammad will therefore have to be patient to regain a little more purchasing power.