Condemning the UK governments welfare cuts.

A government survey shows 4.7m people in disabled households are facing hunger, this includes 1.6m children. Despite these statistics coming from the government's own survey, the Labour government last week announced cuts to welfare spending in the Spring Statement.

According to The Trussell Trust, 75% of people who turn to food banks are from a family where someone is disabled, so with the cuts to Welfare spending we will see an additional

400,000 people pushed into poverty

According to a more accurate analysis publishied by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, a stark difference to the misleading figures published by the DWP reporting 250,000.

More detailed figures on those that will be impacted and what they are set to lose is a damning indicator of the government's failure in a duty of care:

UC Health Element freezing, plus reduction and freezing for new recipients:

• Affects 3 million people, with average loss of £1,100 per year

• Total amount cut £3 billion.

  
  

PIP criteria change:

• Affects 800,000 people, with average loss of £4,500 per year

• Total amount cut £3.9 billion

• Knock-on effect of 150,000 people losing Carer’s Allowance or UC Carer element.

Poverty impact:

Overall, the measures will push an additional 400,000 people into poverty, including 50,000 children.

Source: Inclusion London

For the past 25 years or more there has always been a solution to cuts that wouldn't penalise the most vulnerable and would pull in far more than what was being saved by cutting from those with too little to lose already. It has been estimated that simply taxing an additional 2% on the wealthiest, those with £10 million or more, would pull in an additional £24 billion a year. The difference this would make, is a starting point to tackling poverty.

It's clear that getting taxation right, is a path to preventing cuts on the most vulnerable, and would give the government the opportunity to refocus efforts on ending poverty to ensure no one is left behind.