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https://www.rt.com/uk/448461-minister-hunger-scandal-may/
‘Food insecurity scandal’: UK MPs urge Theresa May to appoint ‘minister for hunger’
Published time: 10 Jan, 2019 11:34
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A child plays behind railings on the Robin Hood Gardens estate in Poplar in East London © Reuters / Jas Lehal
PM Theresa May has been urged by MPs to appoint a ‘minister of hunger’ to address the current food insecurity “scandal” in the UK, accusing the Tory government of allowing efforts to combat malnutrition to slip through the cracks.
The damning report by the cross-party Environmental Audit Committee reveals that 2.2 million British citizens are living with food insecurity, defined as having “limited access to food… due to lack of money or other resources.”
They accused the government of having “failed to recognise and respond” to the problem, claiming there was a “doughnut-shaped hole” in their efforts to meet the UN’s goal of zero hunger and malnutrition by 2030.
Also on rt.com Priorities? Only 14 MPs showed up to debate ‘extreme poverty’ in the UK
MPs cited UNICEF figures that found around one in five (19 percent) children, under 15, in the UK are living with an adult who is either “moderately or severely food insecure.”
The committee has concluded that May’s government should “appoint a minister with responsibility and accountability for combating hunger and food insecurity within the UK."
The chair of the committee, Labour’s Mary Creagh MP said that a toxic cocktail of high living costs, stagnating wages and the rollout of the government’s controversial Universal Credit welfare system, has led to Britain having some of the highest levels of hunger in Europe. She claimed it was “a scandal which cannot be allowed to continue.”
On the issue of Universal Credit, the committee demanded that the government does far more to assess its impact on levels of hunger and malnutrition in Britain.
The report’s findings were welcomed by The Trussell Trust, a leading food bank charity.
Chief executive Emma Revie said: “A failure to address the root causes of poverty has led to soaring need for food banks, with more than 1.3 million food parcels provided to people by our network last year.”
Responding to the committee’s findings, a government spokesperson claimed that household incomes have never been higher and the number of children in workless homes are at a record low, but that “we know there’s more to do to ensure that every family has access to nutritious, healthy food.”
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https://www.rt.com/uk/448406-mps-ignore-poverty-debate-uk/
Priorities? Only 14 MPs showed up to debate ‘extreme poverty’ in the UK
Published time: 9 Jan, 2019 16:33 Edited time: 10 Jan, 2019 10:11
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© Reuters / Eddie Keogh
MPs were supposed to debate the findings of a United Nations report on ‘Extreme Poverty and Human Rights in Northern Ireland’ on Monday, but the House of Commons remained almost empty as the debate got underway.
Labour MP Liz McInnes, who did show up, accused the Conservative Party government of showing disdain towards the poor and said that the United States had shown similar disinterest when the UN highlighted poverty there.
“I know that we have a special relationship with the United States, but I think it shames us all that we share that disdain,” McInnes said.
UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty Professor Philip Alston said in November that the level of poverty in the UK risked causing damage to “the fabric of British society” and accused the Conservative government of favoring policies that compounded poverty levels in one of the richest countries in the world. The report said that the level of child poverty in particular in Britain was “not just a disgrace, but a social calamity and an economic disaster.”
READ MORE: ‘Punitive, mean-spirited & often callous’: UN tears apart legacy of austerity in UK
Alston said that while the British government focuses on an impending exit from the European Union, it has treated poverty as an “afterthought” — an accusation which seems to be supported by the minimal attendance at Monday’s debate.
There was no sign of Theresa May or even new Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd, who sent a junior minister in her place.
The debate was hosted by Labour’s Shadow Minister for Children, Emma Lewell-Buck MP, who said that 14 million people across the UK live in poverty — one fifth of the population — and accused the government of inflicting “degradation, shame and harm” on the poorest in society.
Conservative MP Justin Tomlinson said the government would consider the report “seriously” but added that it does “not agree with all the points” made by Alston.
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‘Food insecurity scandal’: UK MPs urge Theresa May to appoint ‘minister for hunger’
Published time: 10 Jan, 2019 11:34
Get short URL
A child plays behind railings on the Robin Hood Gardens estate in Poplar in East London © Reuters / Jas Lehal
- 57
PM Theresa May has been urged by MPs to appoint a ‘minister of hunger’ to address the current food insecurity “scandal” in the UK, accusing the Tory government of allowing efforts to combat malnutrition to slip through the cracks.
The damning report by the cross-party Environmental Audit Committee reveals that 2.2 million British citizens are living with food insecurity, defined as having “limited access to food… due to lack of money or other resources.”
They accused the government of having “failed to recognise and respond” to the problem, claiming there was a “doughnut-shaped hole” in their efforts to meet the UN’s goal of zero hunger and malnutrition by 2030.
Also on rt.com Priorities? Only 14 MPs showed up to debate ‘extreme poverty’ in the UK
MPs cited UNICEF figures that found around one in five (19 percent) children, under 15, in the UK are living with an adult who is either “moderately or severely food insecure.”
The committee has concluded that May’s government should “appoint a minister with responsibility and accountability for combating hunger and food insecurity within the UK."
The chair of the committee, Labour’s Mary Creagh MP said that a toxic cocktail of high living costs, stagnating wages and the rollout of the government’s controversial Universal Credit welfare system, has led to Britain having some of the highest levels of hunger in Europe. She claimed it was “a scandal which cannot be allowed to continue.”
On the issue of Universal Credit, the committee demanded that the government does far more to assess its impact on levels of hunger and malnutrition in Britain.
The report’s findings were welcomed by The Trussell Trust, a leading food bank charity.
Chief executive Emma Revie said: “A failure to address the root causes of poverty has led to soaring need for food banks, with more than 1.3 million food parcels provided to people by our network last year.”
Responding to the committee’s findings, a government spokesperson claimed that household incomes have never been higher and the number of children in workless homes are at a record low, but that “we know there’s more to do to ensure that every family has access to nutritious, healthy food.”
Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!
Subscribe to RT newsletter to get stories the mainstream media won’t tell you.
https://www.rt.com/uk/448406-mps-ignore-poverty-debate-uk/
Priorities? Only 14 MPs showed up to debate ‘extreme poverty’ in the UK
Published time: 9 Jan, 2019 16:33 Edited time: 10 Jan, 2019 10:11
Get short URL
© Reuters / Eddie Keogh
- 4494
MPs were supposed to debate the findings of a United Nations report on ‘Extreme Poverty and Human Rights in Northern Ireland’ on Monday, but the House of Commons remained almost empty as the debate got underway.
Labour MP Liz McInnes, who did show up, accused the Conservative Party government of showing disdain towards the poor and said that the United States had shown similar disinterest when the UN highlighted poverty there.
“I know that we have a special relationship with the United States, but I think it shames us all that we share that disdain,” McInnes said.
UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty Professor Philip Alston said in November that the level of poverty in the UK risked causing damage to “the fabric of British society” and accused the Conservative government of favoring policies that compounded poverty levels in one of the richest countries in the world. The report said that the level of child poverty in particular in Britain was “not just a disgrace, but a social calamity and an economic disaster.”
READ MORE: ‘Punitive, mean-spirited & often callous’: UN tears apart legacy of austerity in UK
Alston said that while the British government focuses on an impending exit from the European Union, it has treated poverty as an “afterthought” — an accusation which seems to be supported by the minimal attendance at Monday’s debate.
There was no sign of Theresa May or even new Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd, who sent a junior minister in her place.
The debate was hosted by Labour’s Shadow Minister for Children, Emma Lewell-Buck MP, who said that 14 million people across the UK live in poverty — one fifth of the population — and accused the government of inflicting “degradation, shame and harm” on the poorest in society.
Conservative MP Justin Tomlinson said the government would consider the report “seriously” but added that it does “not agree with all the points” made by Alston.
Like this story? Share it with a friend!
