New figures show steepest increase in people needing food banks for five years - Greenwood

Margaret Greenwood, Labour’s Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, responding to new figures published by the Trussell Trust which show the steepest increase in people needing food banks in the past five years, said: 

“It should be a source of shame for this government that food bank use has risen so sharply yet again. These figures show clearly how harsh, punitive Conservative policies like the five week wait in Universal Credit are pushing people to the point of destitution.

“When Universal Credit payments finally arrive they may not even cover the most basic living costs, leaving parents unable to feed their children.

“Labour will scrap Universal Credit, halve food bank usage within our first year in office and end it within three years. Nobody should ever be forced to turn to food banks to survive.”