A Conservative Party candidate has caused a stir after suggesting people who use food banks should get better at managing their budget.
Darren Henry, who is running to be the MP for Broxtowe in Nottinghamshire, said those who are forced to rely on charitable causes should become more financially savvy.
The comments, made during a hustings event in Beeston, come just days after Tory candidate Sally-Ann Hart also came under fire for saying some people with learning disabilities “don’t understand money”.
Manage their budget
Mr Henry told voters on Friday night: “When they go down to the food bank, what they struggle with is maybe being able to manage their budget.
“A thing that can help them is how we can offer them some advice and support.
“When people are really, really down, and when people haven’t got the money, one of the things they can look to do is to get a payday loan or something like that.
“If I’m in Parliament, as a private member’s bill, if I ever get the opportunity, one of the things I’d like to do is to try and stop payday loan advertising because that just makes the whole problem worse.
“What we need to do is to be able to support these people and helping them understand budgets and money is a really useful thing and it’s something we can bring into schools as well.”
Conservative Candidate for Broxtowe Darren Henry at a church hustings:
— Alex Tiffin (@RespectIsVital) December 7, 2019
“When people go down the foodbank, maybe what they struggle with is being able to manage their budget…they can get a payday loan or something.”
You fucking what!? Blaming the poor!pic.twitter.com/MoSOLe5nLO
Record food bank use
The Trussell Trust, which runs a network of food banks across the UK, said it is bracing for its busiest December after 823,145 three-day emergency food parcels were given out in six months between April to September 2019.
Last year 186,185 three-day emergency food parcels were provided by food banks in the charity’s network to people in crisis, with 78,536 of these going to children.
This is 44 per cent higher than the monthly average for the 2018-19 financial year.
Pay day loans
Earlier this year it was revealed that Britain’s unhealthy reliance on payday loans is still very much alive – and it’s getting worse.
New data, seen by This is Money, revealed the full extent of the country’s payday loan addiction, with UK borrowers racking up astronomically expensive debts surpassing the billion pound mark last year.
Total payday lending reached a phenomenal £1.2billion in 2018, according to Financial Conduct Authority figures.
The official figures were revealed following a Freedom of Information Act request made to the financial watchdog by flexible wage app Wagestream.
CORR: An earlier edition of this article suggested Mr Henry had recommended using pay day loans. We have amended this article to better reflect the intention behind his remarks.
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