Jack Monroe tells Tory MP that the economy has been built 'on the bodies of dead people'

Jack Monroe has eviscerated the conservative government over poverty and issues with the economy.

Speaking on Politics Liveyesterday about the cost of living crisis, the campaigner and food writer told business minister Paul Scully how austerity had impacted the lives of vulnerable people and accused his party of rebuilding the economy "on the bodies of dead people". She said:

"I really have to take issue with the fact that you said the government are not going to recovery the economy off the back of the lowest paid people because that has been conservative policy for the last 12 years.

"Austerity led ideology has meant that people who have the least in this country have routinely been asked to shoulder the burdens of the bank bailouts and all of the policies that consecutive conservative governments have put in place to reduce welfare payments, to reduce the support that is available for the poorest and most vulnerable people in the lowest income households.

"The economy has been rebuilt, what little greenshoots we have has been rebuilt, has been on the bodies of the dead people who are no longer with us because they have been failed by the department of work and pensions."

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It comes amid concerns about spiralling food and energy prices, not helped by the war in Ukraine which is causing inflation in natural commodities.

It is expected that energy bills will increase by an average of £693 in April, and the government is promising payments of £350 to households to help deal with this.

However, they have been criticised because only £150 will arrive before the hike, and the other £200 - due to be paid in October - is a loan that will have to be paid back in instalments over five years.

Elsewhere on the show, Monroe warned of the growing number of people facing fuel poverty and called on chancellor Rishi Sunak to intervene.

"People are really struggling and really suffering at the moment.

"That is only going to get worse and we need a rapid intervention in order to lift those people out of poverty.

"We've seen that the chancellor can find a whole orchard of magic money trees for his pet projects, for things he deems to be worthy, Eat Out To Help Out, writing off furlough fraud and he needs to go and dig around in that orchard and find some for people who don't have the same...lobbying power."

She also gave evidence to the Work and Pensions select committee, where she added: "The impact of the cost of living crisis on those households is going to be in some cases fatal, and that's not a term I use lightly."

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