YP Letters: Despite her claims, May penalises the poorest

PREMIER Theresa May promises her government will protect the incomes of the lowest earners, claiming that the Tory party is the party of workers and the poor. Ironically, changes to Universal Credit benefits announced make this commitment to the poorest hollow.

Low paid workers claiming the benefit will be between £1,000 and £3,600 pa. worse off. The difference relates to number of children and marital status. Should these changes be enacted, Britain will witness a further sharp increase in food bank usage. This is a national disgrace in 21st century Britain, where working people have to rely on food handouts to survive. It is a situation akin to the poorer countries in Africa, Asia and South America, in a country that is the fifth richest in the world. Premier May and her government will not be the only ones to impoverish the poor – all governments since 1970 have penalised the poorest to help line the pockets of society’s top one per cent. If Mrs May was genuine in her promise to the poorest, she would heed the words of former Work and Pensions Minister, Iain Duncan Smith, and reverse the proposed Universal Credit changes outlined in July 2015.