The government in the United Kingdom is studying why more and more people are using food banks amid allegations that its social welfare policies have led to more poverty and destitution across the country.
The Guardian revealed in an exclusive report on Thursday that ministers in the government of Prime Minister Theresa May have commissioned a report on the role of government policies in encouraging more people to use food banks.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has tasked two senior officials with overseeing the study, the newspaper said, adding that the report, which is to cost £217,000, is supposed “to identify any areas of DWP policy or operational practice that may have contributed to a rise in demand for food bank services”.
The DWP has marked a draft of the proposal for the research as “Official – Sensitive” meaning it is still reluctant to acknowledge that government policies has had a role in forcing more British…