Who Speaks for Us?
The working class is talked about endlessly in politics, in media, in headlines – but rarely are we actually heard. And even less so when we’re poor.
We’re told we’re lazy, dependent, unskilled, ungrateful. We’re shamed for using food banks, blamed for the housing crisis, and mocked for needing help. Yet we clean the streets, care for the elderly, stock the shelves, serve the food, fix the pipes, drive the buses, and run the hospitals.
This is a country run by working-class people – and yet we are treated as disposable.
So FedUp.uk is doing something different.
Voices of the Working Poor – is about listening. No filters. No spin. No middle-class interpreter explaining “what the poor really think”.
Just real people, telling real stories, in their own words.
Why Now? Because Enough is Enough.
Britain in 2025 is a hard place to survive if you’re poor. Even harder if you’re a single parent, a migrant, disabled, Black or Brown, queer, or all of the above.
But for all the headlines about the “cost of living crisis”, very little time is spent talking to those at the sharp end of it. Politicians have debates. Journalists write columns. Experts give their opinion. Meanwhile, we’re living it.
This series will platform those voices – not out of pity, but out of solidarity.
Because the working poor don’t need saving. We need to be heard, respected, and organised with.
What Do We Mean by ‘Working Poor’?
You shouldn’t be working full time and still be poor. But millions of us are.
The “working poor” are carers paid £10.60 an hour, then hit with a 50% rent hike. They’re teaching assistants with second jobs, Uber drivers sleeping in their cars between shifts, NHS workers using food banks. They’re people doing everything “right” and still barely keeping their heads above water.
This isn’t about bad budgeting. It’s about a system that’s rigged.
Housing is unaffordable. Wages have stagnated. Bills are out of control. Public services are crumbling. And the safety net that’s meant to catch us – Universal Credit, local councils, crisis grants – is being pulled away bit by bit.
The working poor are not a fringe group. We are the majority – just made invisible.
This Series Will Tell These Stories. Here’s What You Can Expect:
1. Personal Testimonies
Stories from people around the UK who are living it, surviving it, resisting it.
- A care worker in Leeds who can’t afford to heat her home
- A gig economy courier in Manchester juggling two kids and three apps
- A supermarket worker in Norwich facing eviction
- A disabled man in Glasgow navigating PIP appeals and work capability assessments
These aren’t statistics. They’re people – and they’re willing to share what’s really happening.
2. Thematic Deep Dives
We’ll pair stories with context:
- Why wages are falling while profits soar
- The hidden rise in in-work homelessness
- How Universal Credit punishes work
- The mental health toll of living on the edge
We won’t shy away from hard truths – and we’ll always point fingers where they belong: at the top.
3. Organising From Below
Not just how people are surviving, but how they’re fighting back:
- Joining unions
- Starting mutual aid groups
- Tenant organising
- Community strikes and solidarity funds
There’s power in stories – but even more in collective action.
A Taste of What’s to Com
“I Work in the NHS – and I Use a Food Bank”
“I do admin in a hospital. I earn £23K a year and my rent just went up £250 a month. I’ve started skipping meals – not even dramatically, just missing breakfast and lunch. I go to the food bank once every two weeks. It’s embarrassing. But when I tell people I work for the NHS, they’re shocked. Like it’s not supposed to happen to someone like me. But it’s happening to a lot of us.”
“I’m a Carer. I Sleep in My Coat.”
“I care for people all day and then I go home to a freezing room. The heating’s too expensive. I wear a coat indoors. I live on pasta and cheap veg. I haven’t been to the dentist in years. I feel ashamed, but also angry. How can I give people dignity when mine’s being stripped away bit by bit?”
“My Son Thinks We’re on an Adventure. We’re in a Hostel.”
“We got evicted in December. Landlord wanted to sell. Council put us in a hostel. It’s one room, three of us, shared kitchen, shared toilets. I told my son it’s like camping. He thinks it’s fun. I cry most nights. I’m working part-time and claiming UC. I’m trying everything. But it’s like the more I try, the more the system says ‘no’.”
Why This Series Matters
Mainstream media only shows us two versions of poor people:
- The hopeless charity case
- The lazy scrounger
Both are lies.
Most of us are working hard, loving our families, helping our communities, and holding it all together with sheer willpower and borrowed change.
This series is about taking control of our own stories.
It’s about dignity.
It’s about truth.
And it’s about reminding each other – and the world – that we are here.
We Need You
This series isn’t about us speaking for others. It’s about building a space where people can speak for themselves.
If you’ve got a story – written, recorded, or just something you want to get off your chest – we want to hear it.
You don’t need perfect grammar. You don’t need a journalism degree. You just need honesty.
We’ll support you. We’ll help shape it. And we’ll make sure your voice is heard with respect.
Here’s how to get involved:
- Submit anonymously through our form
- Get in touch if you’d like to record your story instead of writing
We’re especially keen to hear from:
- Key workers
- Gig workers
- Single parents
- People in temporary accommodation
- Those navigating benefits, debt or homelessness
Your story could help someone feel seen. Or spark someone else to speak. Or show others they’re not alone.
We Are Not Broken – The System Is
There’s nothing wrong with us. We are not lazy. We are not failures. We are not burdens.
We are people trying to live decent lives in a system that is designed to grind us down.
But we are also people with fire in our bellies.
And when we tell our stories, when we come together, when we organise – that fire becomes power.
So this is just the start.
Voices of the Working Poor is our space. Our stories. Our fight.