Poverty Alliance on Starmer speech: "people living on low incomes cannot again pay the price for economic neglect"
The poor must not be made to pay for the state of public finances with another dose of austerity, poverty campaigners have told the prime minister.
PM Keir Starmer has warned that things will only get worse before they get better.
In a speech in Dowing Street’s Rose Garden today (Tuesday, 27 August), he appeared to be preparing the public for more austerity and to set the scene for a cuts-filled autumn budget.
His new government has already removed Winter Fuel Payments for millions of pensioners in the face of a hike in energy prices and has stood firm in its opposition to lifting the two child cap on Universal Credit payments.
Many were hoping the election of a Labour government would mark a change from the years of Tory austerity, which have damaged the fabric of society, and have placed a massive burden on the voluntary sector, which is at the front line in trying to mitigate the effects of spending cuts.
However, Starmer has moved quickly to pour cold water on expectations – claiming that the Tories left a £22 billion black hole in public finances and also what he described as a “societal black hole” in the Rose Garden speech.
However, anti-poverty campaigners in Scotland said the poor must not be made to once again shoulder the burden – and demanded that radical use is made of tax powers.
Poverty Alliance chief executive Peter Kelly said: “People in Scotland and across the UK want a just and compassionate society where everyone has security and freedom to build a decent life. They want politicians who will turn those values into concrete action.
“The prime minister might be correct about the current state of the public finances, but people living on low incomes cannot again pay the price for this neglect. There’s no justification for a lack of urgent action to tackle the injustice of poverty.
“We are one of the wealthiest countries in the world and that collective abundance has grown massively over the decades. The prime minister can use powers over tax and investment to unlock that wealth, and build a better future for all of us - especially for people who are suffering now and desperately need a foundation to build a life beyond poverty.
“He can make that change now, and start rebuilding and renewing our social security safety net and the public foundations of our shared society.”
