UK austerity has inflicted 'great misery' on citizens, UN says
Poverty envoy says callous policies driven by political desire for social re-engineering
" 'I'm scared to eat sometimes'
" Children tell UN: 'It's unfair'
The UK government has inflicted "great misery" on its people with "punitive, mean-spirited, and often callous" austerity policies driven by a political desire to undertake social re-engineering rather than economic necessity, the United Nations poverty envoy has found.
Philip Alston, the UN's rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, ended a two-week fact-finding mission to the UK with a stinging declaration that levels of child poverty were "not just a disgrace, but a social calamity and an economic disaster", even though the UK is the world's fifth largest economy,
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Austerity Britain was in breach of four UN human rights agreements relating to women, children, disabled people and economic and social rights. "If you got a group of misogynists in a room and said how can we make this system work for men and not for women they would not have come up with too many ideas that are not already in place," he said.
The limit on benefits payments to only the first two children in a family was "in the same ballpark" as China's one-child policy because it punished people who had a third child.
Cuts of 50% to council budgets were slashing at Britain's "culture of local concern" and "damaging the fabric" of society.
The middle classes would "find themselves living in an increasingly hostile and unwelcoming society because community roots are being broken".
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Universal credit has punched us in the face. Before much longer people will turn to crime. People will smash the windows to get what they want. This is going to cause riots - Denise Hunter, 57, at the West End food bank in Newcastle-on-Tyne
I got hungry because I was smelling the other food. I had to take my eyes away from it. The most unfair thing is the government knows families are going through hard times but they decide not to do anything about it - John Adebola-Samuel, 12, whose family couldn't get school meals in Dumfries, Scotland, because of their immigration status
I wash in what I call a birdbath - a little hot water in a basin and have a spruce down. To keep warm I wrap up in layers and layers. I never thought I would be 48 and in this position - Sharon Morton, 48, at Newcastle Citizens Advice Bureau
If people don't have enough space at home, you need to be outside and you are exposed to the big world and all sorts of people and pick up bad habits. Anyone offering them a way of making money, they will take it. That's why I think drugs and crime are on the increase - Sahra Roble, 19, from South Acton in London
I was 18 [and homeless] and the council said I was not a priority. I was struggling with depression and anxiety and juggling work. I was told that if I stop work and have a baby I would be more likely to get housing - Tayah, west London
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