Essentials Guarantee

That this House calls for the introduction of an Essentials Guarantee as supported by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Trussell Trust, in response to the long-term decline in household income over the past decade; notes that 8.1 million people in working households are in relative poverty, that 14.1 million people are going without food because they cannot afford it, and that one in three children under five are growing up in a food-insecure household; affirms that nobody should go without food, heating or a warm home; recognises that life can change overnight through sickness, caring responsibilities, unemployment or the loss of a home, and that life’s challenges should not result in people being plunged into poverty; believes that the welfare state should be a safety net, not a trap door, there to support people when needed; supports the principle that minimum support levels should be informed by independent expert advice; and further calls on the Government to introduce an Essentials Guarantee to ensure support always covers the cost of basic necessities and that no one is left living in destitution.