Union leaders call on Keir Starmer to end ‘food bank Britain’

General secretaries of some of the country’s leading trade unions have called upon Keir Starmer and the new Labour government to tackle food insecurity and “catastrophic levels of poverty” across Britain.

In an open letter to the Prime Minister, union leaders, academics, and suspended Labour MP Ian Byrne said it is essential that the government ensures people can meet their basic needs and be able to feed themselves without the need for charitable donations.

Some of union leaders who signed the letter include Mick Whelan (Aslef), Mick Lynch (RMT), Matt Wrack (FBU), Sarah Woolley (BFAWU), Fran Heathcote (PCS), Dave Ward (CWU) and Daniel Kebede (NEU).

The letter reads: “We simply cannot allow food banks to be seen as a normal part of life in the 21st Century. People are already at breaking point. You must tackle food insecurity and end food bank Britain.”

READ MORE: ‘Britain’s first conspiracy theory riots won’t be our last’

The signatories cite data from the Food Foundation’s Food Insecurity Tracker, which estimated that at the start of the year 15 percent of UK households were living in food insecurity, equivalent to approximately eight million adults and three million children.

“For the sixth richest country in the world by GDP, this is scandalous,” the letter reads.

The letter also demands that the government to fully implement the pledges contained in the New Deal for Working People and calls for an end to austerity cuts and “punitive welfare reforms”.

“Ultimately, regular daily access to affordable, safe, nutritious food should neither be a charitable act nor a luxury, but a basic right. We therefore also call on your government to enshrine the Right to Food in UK law at the earliest opportunity, and ensure that the nightmare of food bank Britain becomes a thing of the past,” the letter reads.

A government spokesperson said: “he mass dependence on foodbanks is unacceptable – that’s why we’ve taken immediate action to extend the Household Support Fund to protect the most vulnerable this winter while we kickstart work on developing an ambitious strategy to tackle child poverty.

“Alongside this action, our Plan to Make Work Pay will introduce a new deal for working people to ban exploitative practices and enhance employment rights as we deliver the change we need to fix the foundations of our country, grow the economy and make everyone better off.”

The letter and signatories in full

We musn’t normalise Foodbank Britain

Dear Prime Minister,

After over 14 years of austerity-driven spending cuts, labour market casualisation and welfare reform, we have been left with catastrophic levels of poverty and food insecurity across our communities. Tragically, there are millions of children across our country who are quite literally going to bed hungry.

The Food Foundation’s Food Insecurity Tracker estimated that at the start of this year 15% of UK households were living in food insecurity, equivalent to approximately eight million adults and three million children. For the sixth richest country in the world by GDP this is scandalous.

Charitable food donations are the lifeline that many people rely on to feed them and their children. Meeting the tsunami of need has seen extensive networks of foodbanks emerge across the country.   In the last financial year, the Trussell Trust alone distributed 3.12 million emergency food parcels, a 94 percent increase on five years ago.

It is vital that your government ensures people can meet their basic needs and be able to feed themselves without relying on charitable donations. You must take the opportunity to turn back this tide. We simply cannot allow food banks to be seen as a normal part of life in the 21st Century.    People are already at breaking point. You must tackle food insecurity and end food bank Britain.

 The cost of living crisis exacerbated the pre-existing problems of “in work” poverty and food insecurity. Having to take up multiple, poorly paid, precarious jobs on unpredictable and irregular hours has increasingly driven people to foodbanks in order to feed their families. The situation has been getting progressively worse in the years just before you entered government.

To tackle this blight, we call on the government to fully implement the pledges contained in the New Deal for Working People. To help people eat, keep their homes warm and live fulfilling lives you must strengthen workplace and trade union rights and ensure that workers are able to find decent, secure and properly paid jobs.

Where people are simply unable to work, or limited in the hours they are able to work (including many disabled people, carers, the sick and the elderly) we call for an end to austerity cuts and punitive welfare reforms. Our country needs the government to re-establish a system of genuine social security.

Ultimately, regular daily access to affordable, safe, nutritious food  should neither be a charitable act nor  a luxury, but a basic right. We therefore also call on your Government to enshrine the Right to Food in UK law at the earliest opportunity, and ensure that the nightmare of food bank Britain becomes a thing of the past.  

Yours

• Prof. Alex Colas, Food and Work Network Coordinator, Birkbeck College, University of London 
• Ian Byrne MP, Liverpool West Derby
• Right Reverend Dr John Perumbalath, 9th Bishop of Liverpool
• Sarah Woolley, BFAWU General Secretary
• Right to Food Campaign (London)
• Fans Supporting Foodbanks
• Prof. Tim Lang, Professor Emeritus of Food Policy, Centre for Food Policy, City St George’s, University of London 
• Prof. Lydia Hayes, University of Liverpool
• Prof. Bryce Evans, Liverpool Hope University
• Prof. Benjamin Selwyn, University of Sussex
• Dr Jasber Singh, University of Coventry
• Dr Megan Blake, University of Sheffield
• Dr Elaine Swan, University of Sussex
• Dr Naomi Maynard, Rooted Research
• Dr Tommy Kane, Food and Work Network/ Unity Consulting Scotland
• Dr Michael Calderbank, Food and Work Network/ Solidarity Consulting
• Dr Annette Mansell-Green, British Dietetic Association
• Brian Linn (General Secretary, Aegis)
• Mick Whelan (General Secretary, ASLEF)
• Dr Cath Lowther (General Secretary, Assoc. of Education Psychologists)
• Dave Ward (General Secretary, CWU)
• Paul Fleming (General Secretary, EQUITY)
• Matt Wrack (General Secretary, FBU)
  Gawain Little (General Secretary, GFTU)
• Paul Donaldson (General Secretary, HCSA)
• Ian Lawrence (General Secretary, NAPO)
• Patrick Roach (General Secretary, NASUWT)
• Mark Dickinson (General Secretary, Nautilus International)
• Daniel Kebede (General Secretary, NEU)
• Michelle Stanistreet (General Secretary, NUJ)
• Chris Kitchen (General Secretary, NUM)
• Fran Heathcote (General Secretary, PCS)
• Steve Gillan (General Secretary, POA)
• Mike Clancy (General Secretary, Prospect)
• Mick Lynch (General Secretary, RMT)
• John McGowen (General Secretary, SWU)
• Maryam Eslamdoust (General Secretary, TSSA)
• Dr Jo Grady (General Secretary, UCU)
• Bob Monks (General Secretary, URTU)
• Ellie Peers (General Secretary, Writers’ Guild)
• Muhammed Ali (Chair, UK Private Hire Drivers)
• Zita Holbourne (Joint National Chair, Artists Union England)

READ MORE: Sign up to our must-read daily briefing email on all things Labour

SHARE: If you have anything to share that we should be looking into or publishing about this story – or any other topic involving Labour– contact us (strictly anonymously if you wish) at [email protected]. 

SUBSCRIBE: Sign up to LabourList’s morning email here for the best briefing on everything Labour, every weekday morning. 

DONATE: If you value our work, please donate to become one of our supporters here and help sustain and expand our coverage.

PARTNER: If you or your organisation might be interested in partnering with us on sponsored events or content, email [email protected].