Keir Starmer grilled by MPs over abominable poverty in the UK

Keir Starmer faced tough questions from MPs when he went before the Liaison Committee earlier today, having to answer for the UK’s worsening poverty crisis. With millions struggling under the weight of rising bills, falling real wages, and a housing crisis, the Prime Minister is asked to explain how his government has been improving the lives of the country’s poorest.

Starmer responds to bleak forecasts from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Resolution Foundation, which warn that the bottom 40 percent of households are set to become worse off over the next three years. MPs question him on the viability of Labour’s vision for growth, the adequacy of measures like increases to the minimum wage and universal credit, and whether more radical action is needed to address inequality.

Housing is at the centre of the conversation, with criticism of the ongoing freeze to the Local Housing Allowance and Labour's failure to build enough affordable homes. Starmer is pressed on homelessness, the pressures on local councils, and whether he would commit to reforming local government funding.

Most importantly, he's asked when struggling families might feel a real difference.

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