Britain’s welfare system ‘unfit for purpose’ with millions struggling, experts warn

Two-year study reveals households are being battered again and again' by an unfit' welfare state that is in urgent need of reform

Britain's welfare system is unfit for purpose" and in urgent need of reform, experts warned on Sunday amid fears that millions more families will struggle to make ends meet amid the dual pressures of the pandemic and the spiralling cost-of-living crisis.

The soaring price of food and rent, along with energy bills - which are expected to more than double in April when the price cap is lifted, bringing the number of households under fuel stress" to at least 6 million - is forcing families to choose between basic essentials such as food and heat, the experts said, while growing numbers are being forced into debt and relying on food banks.