Party leaders - put UK poverty on the agenda!

Despite over two years of rising costs and millions of people being trapped under the rubble of debt, few of the UK's major political parties are currently pledging to tackle poverty ahead of the general election.

It’s not okay that those in power are letting people living in poverty down. These are our family members, friends, neighbours, people in our communities who are in urgent need and deserve better.

With a general election now called for the 4th July, join us in calling for the leaders of all the major UK parties to put poverty on the agenda ahead of the general election and write to them here.

Leader of the Alliance Party

Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party

Leader of Sinn Fein

Leader of the Social Democratic & Labour Party

Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party

Reform UK/TUV

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<div>I am writing to join my voice with Christians Against Poverty (CAP), as together we express profound disappointment in the current political landscape.  Despite over two years of rapidly rising costs and millions of people trapped under the rubble of debt, none of the main UK political parties are currently pledging to make tackling poverty a key priority ahead of the coming general election.  </div>
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<div>It almost seems like the cost of living crisis is felt to be over by the well off and wealthy, and by those in politics.  The far graver risk to our society is not the temporary, though terrible, impacts of inflation, but the deeper, darker, decay caused by poverty.  The scars that it leaves on people and communities, the way that it steals health and hope, the way it can drive fear and deprive people of their futures.  The language of crisis suggests immediate response - but such responses when applied to the longer, deep seated issues of poverty are actually little more than bandaids or painkillers, providing temporary relief to a chronic underlying condition that is killing people.</div>
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<div>Christians Against Poverty show in their <a href="http://capuk.org/clientreport" target="_blank" rel="noopener">annual report</a> released on May 22nd, that around half of the people they help each year have attempted or considered suicide before coming forward for free debt help. A similar proportion are in the impossible situation of having a deficit budget, even after expert debt advice - where there is just too little coming in to cover essential household costs. 60% of CAP clients are borrowing money simply to cover their household bills that have skyrocketed these last two years.  A similar proportion are borrowing simply to put food on the table or to clothe their children. These are the people that politics is letting down right now -  they are our family members, friends, neighbours, and people in our communities who are in urgent need and deserve far better than this — to be heard and responded to, not ignored or forgotten.</div>
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<div>This cannot go on.  Charities, churches, communities are stretched to their limits in addressing the growing needs in society, and they need your help. When UK Government's own figures show more than 14 million people are experiencing poverty right now — and more than 4 million of those being children - it is clearer than ever before that we need greater leadership from our politicians and political parties.  This is only reinforced by the reality that no major UK-wide party has yet seen fit to make addressing poverty a key priority in their public pledges.  While people in poverty today need so much more than words - they do need your vocal commitment to listening to their issues and their ideas for the change that is needed. </div>
<div><br>Together, we must face up to UK poverty and take urgent action to fight it. It can be beaten and must be beaten.  I am calling for you as party leader to make tackling poverty a public key commitment of you and your party - whether you may form or influence a government or not.  </div>
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Together, we must face up to UK poverty and take urgent action to fight it. It can be beaten and must be beaten. We'd love to keep in touch about how you can continue to fight poverty.

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Party leaders - put UK poverty on the agenda!

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