Oxfam reaction to the Autumn Statement

Responding to the UK government’s Autumn Statement, Dr Silvia Galandini, Oxfam Domestic Poverty Lead, said:

“We welcome the increase in the minimum wage and the uprating of benefits in line with September’s inflation rate, but punishing people who are unable to work with harsher benefits conditionality and sanctions will only push them further into poverty. The government should not penalise those who cannot work as a result of caring responsibilities, disabilities or illness.

“Today’s focus on tax cuts also contrasted starkly with a lack of commitment to invest more in already under-funded care services, including social care and childcare. These services provide vital support to people with care needs and enable those with unpaid caring responsibilities to do paid work if they want to. Care is critical to the functioning of the entire economy - failure to recognise this is one of the reasons that we have an economy that works well for some, but leaves too many behind."

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