Election 2024: JRF calls on Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer to demonstrate that they are serious about addressing hardship

Ahead of tonight’s TV leaders' debate, charity says that failure to act will be a political and moral choice, and one they should expect to be judged on

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) has called on Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer to demonstrate that they are serious about addressing hardship.

Ahead of tonight’s TV leaders' debate, the JRF highlights new analysis that, alongside millions of people already in poverty, further millions are 'teetering on the edge' -

'3.2 million people in the UK are only £40 a week from poverty, equivalent to the entire population of Wales. This includes 700,000 children, 1.5 million working-age adults and 1.0 million pensioners.

900,000 of these are only £10 a week away (including 0.2 million children, 0.4 million working-age adults and 0.3 million pensioners). This is on top of the 14.2 million people already in poverty in the UK, of which 4.2 million are children.'

The JRF adds that, in May 2024, 7 million households reported that they had gone without essentials like showers, toiletries or adequate clothing in the last six months, or had gone hungry or cut or skipped meals in the last 30 days.

Tonight’s debate is a chance for both leaders to set out their plans and demonstrate they are serious about addressing hardship, the JRF says, and failure to act will be -

'... a political and moral choice, and one they should expect to be judged on.'

'Such high levels of hardship, with millions experiencing poverty and millions more teetering on the edge of it, are a stain on the moral conscience of our nation.

It has been six prime ministers since this country last made sustained progress on reducing poverty. During that time we've seen a sustained rise in the number of people in deep poverty, with hardship and destitution growing even faster. Whoever is Prime Minister after July 4th must make reversing this dismal trend a priority.

Our political leaders must be specific and ambitious about how they will tackle poverty. But so far there hasn’t been anything like the level of urgency from either Rishi Sunak or Keir Starmer that we need to see. Pointing to future growth as a panacea just won’t cut it.'

For more information, see Nearly 1 million people only £10 a week away from poverty as political leaders urged to set out their plans for tackling hardship ahead of tonight’s election debate.

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