Catholic Archbishop calls welfare reform a "disgrace"
- 18 Feb
Archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Nichols, has said that the government's social reform is a "disgrace" and leaves people in
"destitution."
Speaking to the Telegraph, Archbishop Nichols said the welfare state was becoming "more punitive".
"I think what's happening is two things", he said. "One is that the basic safety net that was there to guarantee that people would not be left in hunger or in destitution, has actually been torn apart. It no longer exists, and that is a real, real dramatic crisis. And the second is that, in this context, the administration of social assistance - I am told - has become more and more punitive."
The government have responded by saying the welfare reforms will "transform the lives" of the poorest families, reports the BBC.
"Our welfare reforms will transform the lives of some of the poorest families in our communities with universal credit, making three million households better off and lifting hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty. It's wrong to talk of removing a safety net when we're spending £94bn a year on working age benefits and the welfare system supports millions of people who are on low incomes or unemployed so they can meet their basic needs," a spokesman for the DWP said.
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