Foodbank Britain is a crying shame
Your headline that foodbanks will give out 1.5 million meals to poor families this Christmas is one more befitting a Victorian newspaper than the Daily Mirror in 2018.
It’s hard to think we live in one of the wealthiest countries in the world when foodbanks are in every town and city in Britain.
Clearly, the nation’s wealth is not being distributed fairly.
The welfare system is failing those it was designed to help, and foodbanks are being used as a quick and easy replacement to cover up the Government’s welfare cuts.
Low wages, zero-hours contracts, benefit sanctions and the brutal Universal Credit have all been inflicted on the poorest and most vulnerable in society.
Stephen Dixon, Redcar, Cleveland
This Government has no shame. They are in complete denial over the use of foodbanks. Women and children are starving, and mothers and fathers are having choose whether to eat or heat their homes, if they are lucky enough to have one.
The Tories are a disgrace. I should like to see them manage on a Pot Noodle for lunch. It really does make me weep. We need an election to get rid of this sorry bunch.
Lorraine Thornton Poole, Dorset
It is a travesty that Britain has an estimated 1.5 million who will need help from foodbanks this Christmas. The Universal Credit fiasco has left many destitute as funds are not forthcoming. Zero-hours contracts lead to irregular incomes, meaning those in work are sometimes left to rely on charity to feed themselves.
The Government gives the impression all is well because unemployment figures are down, but clearly this isn’t the case. People are struggling and the issue needs addressing as a matter of urgency. Diane Silva, Lytham, Lancs
■ As Universal Credit continues to wreak havoc for hundreds of thousands of people, I ask myself where is the outrage? Just imagine for one minute, if UC was introduced in France. We need demonstrations to oppose this cruel welfare reform, but who is going to do it?
We have to stop this before there is a major spike in suicides. The amount of worry the credit causes is shocking and, as a benefits adviser, it scares me and my colleagues due to the numbers affected. Pause, scrap, reform, in my view.
Gary Martin, East
London
■ It is supposed to be the season of goodwill but 1.5 million people will be forced to rely on foodbanks this Christmas.
This Government is failing in its duty of care to its poorest and most vulnerable citizens and should be taken to the European Court of Human Rights.
Is it any wonder people are suffering mental breakdowns, women are turning to prostitution, while even children are suffering needlessly – and all the while the rich get richer the poor get poorer.
Universal Credit must be cancelled asap as it has been proven beyond any possible doubt it doesn’t work and never will work. William Howard Williams, Cardiff ■ It’s an absolute travesty that in a country as rich as ours people are having to rely on handouts from foodbanks. Nobody should be homeless or starving in Britain in 2018. Maybe if the members of the Government took a tiny pay cut they could pump more money into helping people who actually need it.
Julie Qualie address supplied