As Thérèse Coffey sang her heart out, families across the UK plunged into poverty

DWP chief Thérèse Coffey singing at Tory party conference


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On 6 October, footage emerged of secretary of state for work and pensions Thérèse Coffey singing ‘The Time of My Life’ to Tory party conference delegates. Coffey performed her enthusiastic rendition of the Dirty Dancing hit just an hour after the government’s £20 cut to universal credit came into effect.

Many took to Twitter to express their disgust at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) chief’s carefree karaoke having overseen a cut which is predicted to plunge 840,000 more people into poverty, including 290,000 children.

Having the time of her life

Sharing a clip of the unfortunate footage, Politics Home reporter John Johnson tweeted:

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Expressing her ‘disgust’ at Coffey’s conduct, Coventry South MP Zarah Sultana tweeted:

This is the biggest overnight cut to welfare Britain has seen. According to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, it will take £1,040 from around 5.5 million households across Britain each year. Highlighting this, Hertsmere Borough councillor for Potters Bar Chris Myers shared:

One Twitter user shared:

Calling the DWP chief’s carefree demeanour having cut benefits for millions of Brits ‘unforgivable’, trade union activist Jack Meredith tweeted:

Taking Coffey’s rambunctious rendition of the Dirty Dancing hit as a grim reflection of Tory party culture, Brendan May tweeted:

Another Twitter user shared:

The £20-a-week cut to universal credit will leave most claimants surviving off a meagre £59 per week. Comparing this with Coffey’s extravagant expenses, one Twitter user shared:

GOV2.UK campaigner Lloyd Hardy tweeted:

More cuts and inflation

In September, the Legatum Institute thinktank predicted that the £20-a-week cut to universal credit could plunge 840,000 more people into poverty, including 290,000 children. Some 5.8 million people currently claim universal credit. Nearly 40% of universal credit claimants are currently employed.

Ahead of the cut, Resolution Foundation chief executive Torsten Bell explained the devastating impact it will have on millions of households in England, Scotland and Wales. He tweeted:

While the government has withdrawn the universal credit uplift, the cost of living continues to increase. Indeed, food and fuel prices, housing costs and energy bills are set to rise dramatically. Nottingham East MP Nadia Whittome shared:

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has forecast that the cut will leave 1 in 3 families living in poverty. Underlining the devastating human cost of the cut, Sultana tweeted:

The government’s deliberate cut to universal credit at a time in which the poorest and most vulnerable in society need more support than ever is nothing short of inhumane.

Featured image via @johnjohnsonmi/Twitter

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  • Show Comments

    1. To be frank, it’s not her problem. She is TORY SCUM, but we know TORIES do not give a fuck about the poor, sick, disabled, elderly, etc! NO! THIS is NOT Her Problem! THIS IS OUR PROBLEM! Those of us who are suffering and those well meaning folk with heads in comfy, materialist, commercialised fluff bubbles who need to provide strong support networks, while they still can, because it doesn’t take a fat lot to be right on the edge of life. Once there you have nothing, family, friends, networks all vanish, because it is a tiresome burden to spend time with someone with nothing and no life, just mental health and poverty, some of us are lucky enough to have wonderful friends who despite the difficulties come for their coffee every week. BUT Theresa Coffey is NOT THEM! She goes for afternoon tea at the Ritz along with many of the Well Meaning Comfy Fluff Bubble folk, and why shouldn’t they!?
      However we need to ask where are The PEOPLE!? What are they doing about this dire situation, we already know it won’t come from either The Conservative Party TORIES nor The “Not for the UNDESERVING Poor”/”Not the Party for People out of Work! We’ll be tougher than the Tories on Benefits!” Neo-New-Labour Party TORIES!
      We need to root the TORIES out of The PEOPLE’S UK Labour Party if we are ever going to have a Party that Actually Opposes The Government holding them to account and does not Sing Karaoke in joy of the “UNDESERVING POOR” People’s suffering, they created!

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