Brutal food bank facts for Tories

THE Tories don’t like to think their welfare reforms are responsible for sending people to food banks.

But they are – and the figures should shame anyone in government who still refuses to face the facts.

The number of people who depend on food handouts is shocking.

The Trussell Trust say the figures shot up by 17 per cent last year.

In stark terms, that’s 170,625 three-day emergency food supplies to families in need. More than 55,000 packages go to children. It’s not just brutal welfare choices sending families into poverty.

There’s a real problem to fix with low pay and in-work benefits.

Food bank providers accept universal credit is the “future” of the benefits system.

So it is essential that the Tory Government wake up and see what it is they are doing.

With Esther McVey at the helm, it’s hard to think anything will change.

She has proved herself to be hard-hearted, turning a blind eye to real evidence of failings in the system she oversees.

The figures, and the real-life people behind them, must be heard.

It’s not too late for the Tories at Westminster to admit they are making mistakes.

They might want to ignore the opposition – but they cannot deny the facts.