Why are the Tories crowing about an INCREASE in working-household POVERTY?

Last Updated: July 27, 2017By

The minority Conservative government is patting itself on the back because more children are now living in working households – but child poverty in such households is now at a record high.

The Tories’ main strategy for dealing with child poverty has been to get more parents into work, and it is clear that this is succeeding (except in Northern Ireland, where ONS figures show the proportion unchanged over the last five years, at 17.6 per cent).

But it has been proved an utterly pointless effort: The real value of wages has fallen by more than 10 per cent in the last decade, meaning more working households are in poverty than ever before.

Around 67 per cent of the UK’s poor children are now in working families – up from 43 per cent in 1996-7 and 52 per cent in 2007. That’s an increase of one-third in the last 10 years.

The simple fact is that the quality of the jobs available under a Conservative government is far too low to affect levels of poverty. Child poverty as a whole is at its highest level since 2010.

And what do the Tories say?

They say: “Children living in workless families are significantly more disadvantaged and achieve poorer educational outcomes than other children, including those living in lower-income working families.”

Oh, so being at work and in poverty is better than being out of work and in poverty, is it? For whom? The working family or the employer who is creaming off all the profit?

They say: “The proportion of people living in relative poverty is near its lowest level since the 1980s.”

What about the proportion in absolute poverty?

They say: “There’s more still to do and we will build further on this progress with the roll-out of Universal Credit, ensuring it always pays to be in work.”

But Universal Credit actually pushes people further into poverty, with (for example) 12-week delays before people receive their first payment.

There is evidence it forces victims of domestic violence to stay with their abuser.

And there are other problems – see the Citizens Advice report for full details:

But the minority Tory government thinks it is wonderful.

Do you think it’s wonderful that working families are now increasingly likely to be as deeply in poverty as the unemployed?


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No Comments

  1. Brian July 27, 2017 at 2:23 pm - Reply

    Very apt info pic of May, the Tories dream of slave labour edges closer as they reverse the argument of poor wages. Only an avid (Stupid / Selfish) Tory will not be able to see through this.

  2. dsbacon2017 July 27, 2017 at 3:19 pm - Reply

    As I’ve been saying for all of my long life: same old b****y tories. They don’t change much, do they?

  3. Dez July 27, 2017 at 3:31 pm - Reply

    The Cons are really the most stupid short term muppets one can ever come across and they believe they can deliver Brexit? The actual folk on the receiving end of their lunacy could have told them exactly what the consequences were going to be however because most of them politicos have not got a clue about what happens outside in the real world they just keep on making things worse. The bedroom tax with no flats available, screwing the private landlords such housing availability plummets throwing many on the streets it’s just endless shambles and rambling of numpty politicians both local and central. And then they wonder why a sudden revolution kicks them up their useless butts.

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