Work and pensions boss admits benefits scheme linked to food bank use

Plans to move more people on to Universal Credit could spark a huge increase in the number of people using foodbanks, the Government is being warned

People placed on the government's flagship benefits scheme have been driven to food banks because of it, the work and pensions secretary has suggested for the first time.

She added that the "main issue" behind a spike in reliance on food banks may have been claimants not being able to access welfare support quickly enough.

The first major speech will signal the end of the benefits freeze in the aim to end austerity. Image: Amber Rudd's was the first admission by a government minister

The Trussell Trust, a UK poverty charity and the UK's biggest network operator of food banks, found last year that referrals to its centres were 52% higher in areas where Universal ...