Homeowners with mental health problems are more likely to have cut back on food and energy to keep on top of their mortgage payments, a charityestablished by the consumer finance champion Martin Lewis has warned. The Money and Mental Health Policy Institute said its research indicated that as many as 1.3 million people in the UK with mental health problems were spending less on essentials – which also included medicine – in order to afford their mortgage costs, which have in many cases increased sharply after a string of interest rate rises. The charity found that while many mortgage holders had been forced to cut spending in other areas to keep up with higher repayments, the impact had been particularly acute for the three in 10 mortgage borrowers with mental health problems.