Millionaires are no use in poverty crisis

FOODBANKS are a fact of life in Britain today. Some of us donate to them, some of us use them. We all know what they are.

It’s a tragedy. One of the world’s richest economies and some of us can’t afford to eat.

The figures are shocking. For example, there are almost double the number of foodbanks than there are Mcdonald’s.

They do vital work.

And the myth that they are only there for people who are out of work is exactly that. A myth.

The cost-of-living crisis, poor wages and inflation means nurses are using them. Teachers, police officers. People from all walks of life.

It is a desperate situation and one that is getting worse.

Because as people tighten their belts and reduce their spending it means donations are drying up.

Some foodbanks, the last hope for so many, have empty shelves. It is a bleak, shameful picture. Contrast it with the excess enjoyed by this cabinet of multimillionaires. Combined they are worth more than £300million.

They spend enough to feed a family for a year on trinkets, drinks trolleys, luxurious rugs.

And – as we go to press – the frontrunner in the race to become the next prime minister is the former chancellor Rishi Sunak.

Liverpool MP Ian Byrne sums it up best: “A man who is worth half a billion pounds has got no idea about food insecurity.

“If he becomes prime minister, it’s only going to get worse.”

We are losing one out-of-touch leader. We don’t need another. We need someone who understands the pain the country is in.

Millions will be plunged deeper into poverty when electricity and gas bills rise in autumn.

Whoever is arriving, be it Mr Sunak or another contender, they better turn up with a plan.