Scandal of mums who go hungry

THERE are mums in Britain who are resorting to starving themselves in order to feed their children.

Shocking revelations of incompetence and failure to help parents get what they are entitled to shames the Government.

As we reveal today, at least 100,000 children are not receiving the child maintenance payments they are entitled to.

More than half of the parents have suffered domestic abuse. Their plight has been met with stony heartlessness by officials who say many will have to wait up to three months to have their justifiable claims settled.

These mums are already victims of partners who have abandoned their families and then been allowed by officials to reduce or stop payments.

The problem has spiralled during the pandemic as the Government has switched resources from the child maintenance programme to cope with the huge increase in Universal Credit claims.

Calls to Gingerbread, the single parent charity, have rocketed by 130 per cent.

This is a human crisis caused by a Government which was reluctant to provide free school meals for children who would otherwise go without food.

A Government which has displayed inertia when action was needed on domestic abuse and now shows heartless disregard for women who have to choose between feeding their children or themselves.

They should not have to wait. It does not require timeconsuming inquiries to prove these parents are in dire need.

Urgent action is needed if this suffering is to be addressed.

Mothers who cannot afford to eat cannot afford to wait.