Time for callous Tories to say sorry
A Tory minister FINALLY admits Universal Credit has forced desperate people into food banks
WELFARE Secretary Amber Rudd has admitted that cruel Conservative benefit cuts have driven desperate, penniless families to food banks. Well, at least that is a start.
For years the Tories have evaded responsibility and lived in a fantasy world – denying the terrible misery they have caused.
Their austerity policy, benefit sanctions and Universal Credit have caused innocent victims to turn to charity.
People have been stigmatised, claimants demonised and low-paid workers short-changed. And all the time neighbours have been turned against each other in the Tories’ usual callous policy of divide and rule.
That Rudd’s admission is progress is depressing, and she must match action to her words. What about an apology to those left hungry and despairing by policies she voted for? How about it, Secretary of State?
THE Tories yesterday finally admitted what has been glaringly obvious for years – that Universal Credit has pushed thousands more people into using food banks.
Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd accepted there was a link between soaring food bank use and the controversial benefit shake-up.
In the Commons, Rudd said: “It is absolutely clear there were challenges with the initial rollout of Universal Credit.
“The main issue that led to an increase in food bank use could have been the fact that people had difficulty accessing their money early enough.
“We have made changes to accessing Universal Credit so that people can have advances, so there is a legacy run-on after two weeks, of housing benefit. We believe that will help with food insecurity.”
She added: “I’ve acknowledged the fact that people had difficulty accessing the money on time as one of the causes for the growth in food banks.
“But we have tried to address that and one of the principal ways of doing that is ensuring every applicant can have advance payment on the day that they apply.”
The statement is a remarkable turnaround after Rudd’s predecessor Esther McVey once tried to blame the
explosion of food bank use by saying the Labour government “refused” to let Jobcentres tell people about them before 2010.
The number of emergency food parcels handed out by the Trussell Trust charity has soared from 61,000 in 2010 to 1.3million last year.
Previously, Tories repeatedly refused to accept welfare changes were responsible.
In 2017, Prime Minister Theresa May batted aside questions about nurses seeking help, saying: “There are many complex reasons why people go to food banks.”
But last August, the Department for Work and Pensions launched an internal study to examine if welfare policies have prompted food bank use.
Rudd has pledged a more humane approach to the benefits system since taking the work and pensions job in November.
She said: “I believe and hope the changes we have made in terms of accessing early funds will have reduced insecurity.”
Since taking over, Rudd has paused the planned mass “migration” of existing benefit claimants to Universal Credit pending another trial and introduced changes such as making payments directly to women if they are the household’s main carer.
The SNP last night said the Tories’ admission on food bank use was “long overdue”.
MSP George Adam added: “The Tories ‘flagship’ welfare policy simply isn’t working and it’s now abundantly clear the welfare cuts inflicted by the Tories on people in Scotland are directly forcing vulnerable people into poverty.
“Experts and front-line services have been warning that people are being left with nothing to live on for years – only this uncaring Tory government could deny that for so long. They should be deeply ashamed of themselves.
“It is a disgrace that this botched Tory policy is leaving millions of families poorer and worse off – cutting incomes, forcing claimants to go without money and driving families to food banks in order to survive.”
“The SNP has long made the case for a halt to the rollout of Universal Credit but those pleas fell on deaf ears. “It’s time they recognised that the rollout of Universal Credit has been a failure.” Labour’s Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Margaret Greenwood said: “It’s astonishing that Amber Rudd has admitted this link yet she has failed to take action on the five-week wait. “The initial wait for Universal Credit is pushing many families into poverty, so it is no wonder that many people are being driven towards food banks.”