Row as ex-minister says food bank users ‘not languishing in poverty’

A SENIOR Conservative was urged to apologise yesterday after claiming that most food bank users were not ‘languishing in poverty’.

Former justice minister Dominic Raab claimed many people receiving food parcels had ‘episodic’ cash problems as he sought to defend the Government’s record during a TV debate.

Some 1.2million food parcels were handed out last year, according to The Trussell Trust charity.

Asked why so many people were using food banks during an election debate hosted by BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire, he said: ‘In terms of the food bank issue, and I’ve studied the Trussell Trust data. What they tend to find is the typical user of a food bank is not someone that is languishing in poverty, it is someone who has a cash flow problem episodically.

A spokesman for the charity said delays to benefit payments and low wages were the most common reasons for food bank referrals.

Mr Raab was challenged by the SNP’s John Nicholson, who said the charity would be ‘outraged’. Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron also described Mr Raab as ‘out of touch’ and called on him to apologise.

Mr Farron said: ‘ We are seeing nurses, police officers and the justabout-managing having to go to food banks as their pay cheques won’t stretch any further.

‘These are stupid and deeply offensive comments by Dominic Raab and he should apologise.’

A Trust spokesman said: ‘ Trussell Trust data shows the main reasons for a food bank referral are delays and changes to benefit payments and lowincome issues that include people who are struggling with low pay or insecure forms of employment.

‘It is our experience that people living in poverty are more likely to experience a sudden short-term crisis where they are referred for emergency food whilst the underlying causes are addressed.’