The Labour government fought the fight against poverty
Despite the fact that Gordon Brown has received much criticism from the UK public, UK business arena and many of his international allies over the last 12 months there is no doubt the UK government has been one of the most successful in the fight against poverty. Despite the fact that those in poverty in the UK, i.e. those with an income less than 60% of the median income in the UK, still total 10.9 million, or 18% of those of working age, the figure was actually just over 20% when Labour came to power in 1997.
In a world where the rich seem to get richer and the poor seem to get poorer it is refreshing to see that at least some progress has been made on this particular front. However, the new government will need to pick up the baton and continue to run with this otherwise you will see more and more people slowly but surely slipping back into poverty.
The UK benefits system is something of a double-edged sword because it can and does change the lives of many people on low income but in many cases it can be more beneficial to remain on benefits than take a low-paid job which could potentially lead to higher wages in the future.
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