Senior bishop challenges ‘success’ of government welfare reforms

The need for food banks was also highlighted by the Bishop of Leeds, the Rt Rev Nick Baines, as he tackled ministers at Westminster.

His intervention came as the Government stepped up its attack on the UN poverty expert behind a critical report of the UK slamming the “inflammatory and overtly political tone”.

Works and Pensions Minister Baroness Buscombe told peers during a recent visit to the UN, people had moved to “distance themselves from it” and preferred instead to praise the Government’s “groundbreaking, exemplary and world-leading policies in the area of work and pensions”.

In his report, UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights Philip Alston claimed the UK had violated its human rights obligations through sustained and widespread cuts to social support.

He also said that although the UK is the world’s fifth largest economy, one-fifth of its population (14 million people) live in poverty, and 1.5 million experienced destitution in 2017.

The Department for Work and Pensions has already branded the report a “barely believable documentation of Britain” and said it painted a “completely inaccurate picture” of its approach to tackling poverty.

But pressed on the findings in the Lords, Lady Buscombe appeared to go further, telling peers: “Nobody wants to see poverty rising and we treat the issues raised by the special rapporteur…