Labour is tomorrow (Wednesday) pledging to wage war on the “ten
modern scourges of poverty” and reverse the damage that a decade
of austerity under the Tories has caused.
The party is publishing a new Report – “Poverty Britain”
– which highlights ten ways the Tories have failed to tackle
poverty and entrenched hardship in society.
The report includes new analysis that shows:
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Wage stagnation under the Tories has cost the average
worker around £6,300 in lost wages.
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Food banks have given out 65 million meals in the
last five years, the equivalent of a meal for every person
in the whole of the UK.
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There are now over 20 million adults with no savings,
an increase of nearly three million since 2010/11.
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A near 50 per cent increase in the number of children
in severe low income and deprivation between 2011/12 and
2017/18.
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Poverty in families where someone is disabled has
risen by over a million since 2010.
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In-work poverty has increased by 1.5 million since
2010/11.
, Labour's Shadow
Chancellor, said:
“Poverty in Britain is now the most visible and
widespread it has been in decades.
“This new report shows the Tories have failed to tackle
ten modern scourges of poverty, each becoming more entrenched
on their watch.
“The next Labour government will wage war on poverty in
all its forms, eliminating in-work poverty, ending austerity
and raising living standards across the country.
"The choice at this election couldn’t be clearer: more
stress and struggle for millions to make ends meet under the
Tories or real change with Labour."
Ends
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Labour’s new report Poverty Britain: Ten Ways the
Tories have Entrenched Poverty across Britain document is
attached.
Labour will:
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Introduce immediately a Real Living Wage of £10 an
hour for everyone over 16
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Eliminate in-work poverty over the course of our
first parliament
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Scrap Universal Credit, the benefit cap, the Two
Child limit and end the freeze on working-age
benefits.
-
Rebuild a social security system dedicated to
dignity, universalism and ending poverty.
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Clamp down on problem debt by capping credit card and
overdraft repayments so that borrowers never repay more in
interest than they originally borrowed.
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Expand free childcare, open 1,000 new Sure Start
centres and provide universal Free School Meals for all
primary school children
-
Tackle the Tories’ productivity crisis with a
programme of large scale investment in skills,
infrastructure and innovation
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Set a target for ending the need for food banks
altogether within our first three years, and halve food
bank usage within our first year.
-
End rough sleeping within a Parliament, starting with
a plan to ring-fence an extra 8,000 homes for people with a
history of rough sleeping and £100million to tackle
immediate winter pressures.
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Protect pensioner incomes by legislating to keep the
Triple Lock on state pensions as well as guaranteeing free
TV licences, free bus passes and Winter Fuel
Payments.
-
Bring justice for women born in the 1950s affected by
the Tories’ changes to the State Pension age
