There never was an official description of dereliction and destitution. The social security “safety net” is whatever sum the government of the day pays, with no definition of what it’s supposed to cover. Even though Labour’s tax credits greatly raised the level, no minister ever got trapped into defining the details of what a baseline might look like.
After massive benefit cuts and freezes, despite rising rents and living costs, how could this government explain how someone is supposed to live on the current £85 a week for an adult, or £67 for under-25s? Lee Anderson’s claim that 30p is ample for a day’s food only megaphoned how out of touch a Tory deputy chair can be, as he rubbished “do-gooders” running food banks he said no one needs. Most ministers these days make sure they know the price of a pint of milk and loaf of bread, but as for that miserable £85 a week, how to spend it is a matter for individual choice, they say.
