2 minute read
Have you been “Excluded”? Gina Miller reports
Are you EXCLUDED?
Campaigner Gina Miller makes a passionate appeal for the three million
It is tragic to hear individual stories from the three million suffering due to no fi nancial support during almost a year of the Coronavirus pandemic. People of all ages, from all areas and different industries in utter desperation, having to decide how to feed, clothe, house their families. I fi rst heard of their plight in July 2020 and never thought they would still be begging for support now. It makes no moral or monetary sense. Three million people who are essential cogs in the economic and social machinery of our country and will be needed to build back after the pandemic.
My campaigning work over the last 30 years has included policy solutions to address the pathways that lead to poverty, so I am acutely aware of people who live with fi nancial fragility and the hardship and desperation it causes. I am also aware of the diversity of those who make up Excluded UK and that there are a disproportionate number of under 25s and women being denied parity. We all have a duty to speak up against injustice. To support people who are being victimised, discriminated against, and denied fairness. Hardworking people who paid taxes and hoped the state safety net would be there in times of crisis.
Think tanks, businesspeople, an All-Party Parliamentary Group on Gaps in Support have suggested pragmatic constructive solutions for those who have fallen through the gaps, but they continue to fall on deaf ears. For example, the proposed Targeted Income Grant Scheme (TIGS), proposing parity payments of £3,500 to £7,500 which would be easy to administer, fraud-resistant and offer long-term economic benefi ts.
The profound changes to our way of life, the economic toll and the shared national struggle resonate with us all but whilst Prime Minister Johnson promises not to ‘pull the rug out from under business’, he and his Government appear happy to bury over 3 million Excluded under the carpet.
The rich tapestry of our country needs this diverse, talented group of people to survive and thrive post-pandemic. But how can they if they have to face another four months without access to money? I hope Messrs Johnson and Sunak have the courage to put this wrong right.
Gina Miller – Co-Founder of SCM Direct and campaigner n
…a disproportionate number of under 25s and women are being denied parity. We all have a duty to speak up against injustice
