UK Must Address Austerity, Social Service Cuts Impoverishing Millions - UN Rapporteur

The United Kingdom should address the economic impoverishment of millions of Britons due to cuts in services, UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights Philip Alston said in a report on Wednesday

UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd May, 2019) The United Kingdom should address the economic impoverishment of millions of Britons due to cuts in services, UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights Philip Alston said in a report on Wednesday.

"Largely as a result of slashed government spending on services, close to 40 percent of children are predicted to be living in poverty two years from now; 16 percent of people over 65 live in relative poverty; and millions of those who are in-work are dependent upon various forms of charity to cope," a press release summarizing Alston's report said.

The report calls for "a new vision that embodies British compassion and places social rights and economic security front and center."

Alston also warned that the politics of Brexit serves to distract the nation from a need to restore government funding for anti-poverty programs.