News: Poverty campaigners on ‘cynical’ PM – ‘A sick society makes sick people’

Responding to a speech by the Prime Minister today, Poverty Alliance director Peter Kelly said: “With his speech today, Rishi Sunak is attempting to whip up fear, stigma and division in order to win votes. That’s deeply cynical.

“He and other political leaders have repeatedly failed to unlock this country’s vast wealth to strengthen our society and build a better future. Instead, they have weakened our health service and the other public services that we need for a strong and healthy country. They have deliberately undermined social security so that more and more people are being pushed into destitution. The very services that should be there to support people are the ones that have been starved of resources for more than a decade. 

“A sick society makes people sick. If he is serious about helping people, he can commit to full employment, build a wellbeing economy that provides good jobs and decent wages, and raise the investment we urgently need to repair and strengthen the foundations of our society. That’s the real way to give people the freedom and stability they need to build a life beyond poverty.”

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