BrianLeishman

OVER the past 15 years, we have seen people become poorer. Let us have a look at the causes of this turmoil.

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Firstly, austerity. This cruel Tory fiscal policy was the harshest programme of deficit reduction since the World Wars. It led to the chronic underfunding of our vital public services.

Make no mistake, adopting austerity was not about recovering from a global recession and the Tories cared not for long-term outcomes.

Austerity was about capitalism and generating profit while widening the gap between rich and poor.

I often talk about redistribution of wealth, and that was what happened. But in the opposite direction to the way I speak of.

For the Tories, austerity was an opportunity. Something that could take even more power away from the working class - from the many in society. Think Robin Hood but instead taking from the poor and giving to the rich.

The 2010s also saw workers' wages stagnate, productivity remaining unchanged, and more and more people having to rely on the kindness of others just to survive.

I have met many times with the Trussell Trust and Joseph Rowntree Foundation and in Parliament, I have spoken about the Essentials Guarantee - making sure that everyone has enough to cover the costs of food and shelter.