Apathy to tackle grim levels of UK poverty runs deep

‘Gordon Brown is undoubtedly right that with so many issues coming along at the same time, some families will fall further and faster into poverty.’ Photograph: Alamy

Gordon Brown is right to shift the focus from partygate to povertygate (First food banks, now bed banks: in my time in politics, this is the worst poverty I’ve seen, 1 March). The recent circus of political dishonesty and deceit has rightly evoked condemnation, but the furore has distracted us from the cruel assault this government has made on our poorest citizens.

Brown reminds us that access to food, warmth and a reasonable baseline income is the minimum that any government should provide for its citizens. Not only has this government failed to do this, but it has added to people’s despair by increasing taxes, allowing hikes in food and energy prices, cutting universal credit, and taking away much of the safety net of support for those families struggling the most. Politicians never seem to recognise the pain they cause or to hear the voices of those who really suffer from their policies. We should all join Brown in a voluble condemnation of povertygate.
Peter Riddle
Wirksworth, Derbyshire