Sir Michael Marmot on 'Grim Reality' of Poverty in Britain | LBC

Jan 23, 2024 | Professor Sir Michael Marmot joins Andrew Marr to discuss alarming data from the NHS, which suggests a signifiant increase in Victorian-era diseases, such as scurvy and rickets, during Rishi Sunak's premiership. Marmot attributes the return of these diseases to poverty and malnutrition and emphasises the 'grim' reality of Britain in 2024.

Millions in UK Need to Double Income to Escape Poverty | Channel 4 News

Jan 23, 2024 | When the cost of everything is spiralling, from housing to fuel and food, millions of ordinary people are facing an ever greater struggle to get by.

Now a new report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation says millions of people in the UK would need to double their income to escape poverty. Their damning report reveals the extent of hardship and desperation across the country - describing it as "social failure, at scale".

Gap between Haves and Have-nots Widening, Report Warns

BBC: The growing gap between the UK's "haves and have-nots" is in danger of becoming a "chasm", a report has warned.

Research by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) think tank argues the most disadvantaged are no better off than they were 15 years ago.

It mentioned stagnant wages, family breakdown, poor housing, crime, mental health and other issues, saying the gap widened during the pandemic.

Ministers highlighted the support to help with the rising cost of living.

The report by the CSJ's Social Justice Commission says the country is at risk of slipping back to a social divide not seen since the Victorian era. » | BBC | Saturday, December 9, 2023

This is what happens to a society when greed is allowed to be its driver! It is a direct consequence of years of Thatcherism and thirteen plus years of Tory rule. – © Mark Alexander

Brits on the Edge | ARTE.tv Documentary

Nov 17, 2023 | Britain has amongst the highest inflation in Europe with many barely having enough to keep up with rising rents, energy bills and food prices. A focus on ordinary Brits struggling to make ends meet.

WELCOME to TORY Britain after years of Thatcherism and Brexit!

Über die schlechten Umstände in denen so viele Briten nun seit Thatcherismus und Brexit leben müssen, schäme ich mich ganz und gar.

Dies ist nicht das Großbritannien, auf das ich als Kind stolz war und das ich früher verehrte. Aufeinanderfolgende Tory-Regierungen haben so viele Menschen in die Armut und einige sogar ins Elend gestürzt.

Dieses Land muss diese Regierung schleunigst aus dem Amt werfen. Um sich zu erholen, bräuchte es vielleicht sogar eine Revolution. – © Mark Alexander

UK ‘in Violation of International Law’ over Poverty Levels, Says UN Envoy

GUARDIAN INTERNATIONAL: Exclusive: Special rapporteur Olivier De Schutter to urge ministers to increase welfare spending on visit to country this week

Poverty levels in the UK are “simply not acceptable” and the government is violating international law, the United Nations’ poverty envoy has said ahead of a visit to the country this week, when he will urge ministers to increase welfare spending.

Olivier De Schutter, the UN’s special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, cited research showing universal credit payments of £85 a week for single adults over 25 were “grossly insufficient” and described the UK’s main welfare system as “a leaking bucket”.

In an interview with the Guardian five years after his predecessor, Philip Alston, angered the Conservative government by accusing it of the “systematic immiseration of a significant part of the British population”, the Belgian lawyer risked a fresh confrontation by saying: “Things have got worse.” » | Robert Booth, Social affairs correspondent | Sunday, November 5, 2023

UK's welfare system is cruel and misogynistic, says UN expert after damning report on poverty: Britain’s welfare system is so sexist it may as well have been compiled by “a group of misogynists in a room,” a UN expert has claimed. / Philip Alston, the UN’s rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, warned that poverty in the UK is a “political choice” and that compassion and concern had been “outsourced” in favour of tax cuts for the rich. / In a damning 24-page report he brands levels of child poverty “not just a disgrace, but a social calamity and an economic disaster” and said that limiting benefit payments to two children was as “forced and physical” as China’s one-child policy. »

The Rise of Poverty in Europe | Documentary

Oct 18, 2023 | The Rise of Poverty in Europe | ENDEVR Documentary from 2017

119 million people in Europe live under the breadline today. How could this happen? The reality of deprived children, unemployed young adults, and indigent workers spreads all around the Union. What does Europe do for them? Visiting young unemployed people in Ireland, Italy and Portugal, this film investigates beyond the social and economic aspects and outlines how this situation impacts the politics.

ENDEVR explains the world we live in through high-class documentaries, special investigations, explainers videos and animations. We cover topics related to business, economics, geopolitics, social issues and everything in between that we think are interesting.

Bangladesh: Children Hit by Global Cost of Living Crisis - BBC News

September 6, 2023 | The global cost of living crisis and the impact of the war in Ukraine on food prices has hit families around the world. None more so than in Bangladesh, which last year hiked fuel prices by 50% overnight. It led to a steep rise in the cost of basic food items like rice and vegetables.

Why the US Can’t End Poverty

Mar 7, 2023 | 37.9 million Americans are currently living in poverty, accounting for 11.6% of the total population. That’s despite the fact that America ranks first as the richest nation in the world in terms of GDP. Poverty in the U.S. is not only a humanitarian crisis but an economic one as well. About 11% of the federal budget, or $665 billion goes to economic security programs every year. Child poverty alone is estimated to cost the U.S. over $1 trillion based on the latest research. So how did poverty become such a big issue in the U.S. and why is it so difficult to end it?

"Poverty, by America": Author Matthew Desmond on How U.S. Punishes the Poor & Rewards the Wealthy

Apr 18, 2023 | A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds that poverty is the fourth-greatest cause of death in the United States. Roughly 500 people die from poverty in the U.S. every day. Our guest, sociologist Matthew Desmond, is the author of the new book, Poverty, by America, the follow-up to his Pulitzer Prize-winning book Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City. "There's so much poverty in America, not in spite of our wealth, but because of it," says Desmond in an in-depth interview.

The New Poor in Germany | ARTE.tv Documentary

Jan 27, 2023 | With the increase in the cost of living, food banks are increasingly in demand in Germany. But the massive influx of people in need poses a major challenge to charities, which sometimes have to refuse new applicants.

Tax Cuts Funded on Backs of Poor ‘Morally Indefensible’, Say Campaigners

THE GUARDIAN: Government could seek to reduce welfare benefits spending in wake of recent mini-budget

Poverty campaigners have said it would be “morally indefensible” for ministers to fund tax cuts for the richest on the backs of the poor, amid speculation that ministers may reduce welfare benefits in the wake of last week’s ill-received fiscal statement.

Friday’s mini-budget announced billions of tax cuts benefiting high earners, but the subsequent market fallout plunged the UK’s finances into near crisis. The government is expected to have to make tens of billions of pounds of public spending cuts later this year to try to put the UK’s finances on a sound footing.

With prime minister Liz Truss having made high-profile political commitments to increase defence and NHS spending, welfare is seen as a prime candidate for cuts. » | Patrick Butler, Social policy editor | Thursday, September 29, 2022

‘A reverse Robin Hood’: key exchanges from Liz Truss’s radio interviews: Memorable points from prime minister’s morning round of interviews at a glance »

‘There’s Nothing Else to Give Them’: Liverpool Food Banks Confront Rising Hunger

THE GUARDIAN: Volunteers say they have never seen such acute need as inflation, soaring energy costs and cuts to benefits force growing numbers into dire poverty

An uncomfortable silence fills the hall of St Bride’s church in Liverpool. In a few minutes, its doors will open to some of the city’s hungriest families. Between 250 and 300 people are expected at its latest weekly food bank, although it could be more. But there is little to offer them: only 150 parcels of food and a small pile of unwanted clothes.

For the first time in years, the volunteers have to turn people away. They look aghast. “That will last half an hour at best. What do we do then?” asks Julian Sowden, one of the longest-serving volunteers. “There’s nothing else to give them. We just stop? We just shut the door?”

The answer – “yes” – is met with silence. School holidays are approaching, says another helper, the church will be “inundated with people who can’t feed their children”. Nick Mendes, one of the trustees, asks in a plaintive prayer for God to “supply our needs”. Little more than an hour later, the food has gone. » | Josh Halliday, North of England correspondent | Friday, July 22, 2022

This is heartrending! Is this what forty years of Thatcherism has reduced this once great country to? And Brexit? And twelve plus consecutive years of Tory misrule?

Make no mistake! I am no lefty. Not at all! But there is capitalism and there is capitalism. Thatcher’s version was right for the time, but it should have been placed onto the garbage of history long ago. It has outlived its usefulness, at least for the time being.

These days, we are confronting a very different set of problems than Thatcher faced. Thatcherism was joined at the hip with Reaganomics. Interestingly, and perhaps ominously, both Reaganomics and Thatcherism were economic theories based on two people’s understanding who had never studied economics!

The current Conservative leader hopefuls are arguing it out among themselves about just how much more Thatcherism this country needs. Despite being a lifelong Conservative voter until the Conservatives turned populist and anti-EU, I would say that the last thing this country needs is yet more Thatcherism. How much more ‘trickle-up’ economics does this country need? How much more inequality? How much more poverty? How many more foodbanks?

Let the lady rest in peace. This country has been almost destroyed by greed. Let’s give compassion a chance, shall we? We might well be surprised by the results. – © Mark Alexander

The Precariat Society I ARTE.tv Documentary

Jan 31, 2022 • A third of Europeans live in economic insecurity: Zero hours contracts, the fear of redundancy and stagnating wages have brought more and more people into poverty and precariousness and provided fertile conditions for the political extremes.

With contributions from geographer Christophe Guilluy, economist Guy Standing, and from people struggling to make ends meet across Europe, this documentary focuses on the new working poor, the precariat.

The Precariat Society I ARTE.tv Documentary
Available until the 17/04/2022

Young and Poor in Germany I ARTE.tv Documentary

Jan 22, 2022 • In Germany, a quarter of 18-24 year olds are at risk of poverty, making them the most vulnerable age group. The pandemic has made accessing education and getting a decent job more difficult. Focus on four young people in Germany: Aicha, Laura, Johannes and Ceyda. Available until the 03/07/2022

The Guardian View on Hunger in the South: Poverty Hits Home

‘Lack of food is not, of course, the only indicator of chronic poverty and societal unfairness. Inequalities in housing, education and employment have also all been exacerbated by the pandemic.’ Photograph: Getty

THE GUARDIAN: Figures showing one in seven people going hungry in an otherwise rich area should shock ministers to act

Steve Baker, Conservative MP for Wycombe and a well-known Brexiter, said he was not surprised by new research showing that his constituency has the highest levels of food insecurity of anywhere in the country. Around 14% of residents reported going hungry in January and February this year, while a third said getting enough food was a struggle. Mr Baker has the benefit of local knowledge. It is less than a year since another report showed Buckinghamshire to have one of the worst records on social mobility in the UK. But for ministers, these new figures should be a wake-up call. Hunger is disturbing in and of itself. But there are particular reasons to worry about pockets of deep poverty in otherwise wealthy areas. » | Editorial | Monday, August 2, 2021

More Than 1m Children from Key Worker Families Living in Poverty, Says TUC

THE GUARDIAN: Study finds more than one in five children of workers employed in the frontline of the pandemic live below breadline

More than a million children from households in the frontline of the fight against the coronavirus pandemic are living in poverty, according to new research published by the TUC.

The study found that one in five children of key workers in England, Scotland and Wales were living below the official breadline – rising to almost one in three in the worst-affected region, the north-east.

The TUC said low pay and insecure hours – widespread in occupations such as social care, supermarkets and delivery drivers – were the main reasons for in-work poverty among key workers. » | Larry Elliott | Wednesday, July 14, 2021

More Than 3 Million Lebanese Face Poverty

More than three million Lebanese - almost half the population - are facing a tough Ramadan. The monthly cost of iftar, or the meal to break their fast, now costs 2.5 times the minimum wage. The World Bank says food prices there have become the highest in the region. Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr has more from Beirut, Lebanon.

Unicef to Feed Hungry Children in UK for First Time in 70-year History

THE GUARDIAN: UN agency will help fund food parcels for those affected by coronavirus crisis in Southwark, south London

Unicef has launched a domestic emergency response in the UK for the first time in its more than 70-year history to help feed children hit by the Covid-19 crisis.

The UN agency, which is responsible for providing humanitarian aid to children worldwide, said the coronavirus pandemic was the most urgent crisis affecting children since the second world war.

A YouGov poll in May commissioned by the charity Food Foundation found2.4 million children (17%) were living in food insecure households. By October, an extra 900,000 children had been registered for free school meals. » | Rhi Storer | Wednesday, December 16, 2020

This is to our enduring shame! So many untaxed billionaires; so many poor children! This is enough to bring tears to the eyes of any decent human being! Disgusting! – © Mark

Almost 700,000 Driven into Poverty by Covid Crisis in UK, Study Finds

THE GUARDIAN: Total includes 120,000 children, according to thinktank that is calling for anti-poverty strategy

Almost 700,000 people in the UK, including 120,000 children, have been plunged into poverty as a result of the Covid economic crisis, according to a thinktank analysis.

The Legatum Institute also said an additional 700,000 people had been prevented from falling below the breadline by the chancellor’s temporary £20-a-week boost to universal credit, introduced in April to help claimants cope with the extra costs of the pandemic.

Overall, the pandemic has pushed the total number of people in the UK living in poverty to more than 15 million – 23% of the population – according to the institute, which uses poverty measures developed by the independent Social Metrics Commission. » | Patrick Butler, Social policy editor | Monday, November 30, 2020

People in Gaza Sifting through Rubbish for Food, UN Head Says

THE GUARDIAN: Palestinians across Middle East suffering unprecedented poverty, says Philippe Lazzarini

People in Gaza are searching through rubbish to find food as Palestinians battle unprecedented levels of poverty, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees has said.

Across Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Gaza and elsewhere, Palestinian refugees are suffering at new depths because of the pandemic, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency chief, Philippe Lazzarini. “There is despair and hopelessness,” he said in an interview.

“In Gaza, people are going through the garbage,” Lazzarini said, referring to reports from UNRWA staff in the enclave. “More people are fighting to provide one or two meals a day to their families.” » | Oliver Holmes, Jerusalem correspondent | Monday, October 12, 2020