An anti-poverty organisation reports that a record number of low-income households in the UK cannot afford basic essentials. It estimates that 7.4 million such households were unable to pay for at least one essential item over the previous six months. Essentials named include items such as food, toiletries, and heating. The report is framed as a worsening situation in affordability for families on low incomes, with the figure presented as the highest level recorded by the organisation. The sources highlight that the problem is not limited to one category of spending: households are reported to be struggling across everyday necessities as well as energy costs. Taken together, the coverage points to sustained financial pressure affecting day-to-day living, particularly for households already considered low income. No additional details about the specific methodology or the anti-poverty organisation’s wider breakdown are included in the provided excerpts, but both accounts reference the same overall estimate and time period.