PM responds to the Let’s End Poverty letters
People with first-hand experience of poverty wrote to the Prime Minister urging him to change the Government’s approach… and received an immediate response.
The Dear Prime Minister project was part of the Let’s End Poverty campaign, and involved 15 people writing to Sir Keir Starmer about their own experiences, insights and hopes.
Getting a grassroots message to the heart of Government is no easy feat, so initiatives like this often require patience. But remarkably, these letters generated an almost instant response… that evening, they were the lead story on BBC London TV news, and then the very next day they were discussed at Prime Minister’s Question Time, in a packed House of Commons.
Watch below, as Sir Keir Starmer tells MPs: “The letters are honest, powerful and important and I think they hold up a mirror to our country.”
Dear Prime Minister letters
Sir Keir Starmer was responding to a question from Cat Smith MP, who had hosted a Parliamentary event for the Dear Prime Minister letter writers and supporters.
Several contributors read out their own letters, and there was a discussion about what it would mean to truly involve people with direct experience of poverty, when policies and systems are written and designed.
Together we can build a poverty-free nation
The foreword to the publication says:
“The new Government is aiming for a decade of national renewal. The people who need that the most – the authors of these letters and the millions who share similar experiences – must be invited to be partners in that change.
“We invite the Prime Minister to meet with the authors of these letters, to hear in person the wisdom and insights they bring, and to find ways to bring the expertise and insights derived from lived experience into the heart of policy making. Together, we can build a poverty-free nation, and we are eager to play our part”.
Some contributors, such as Karen & Andy in Morecambe Bay, wrote about the positive impact that localised projects like Poverty Truth Commissions have had, and called for similar approaches nationally.
They said: “We have worked on many initiatives together and are seeing real change. It’s an approach that could make politics more effective, locally and nationally.”
Others talked of the importance of meaningful support, and others outlined the need for hope for a brighter future.
One contributor, Steve from west London, talked about attending his local food bank, and then becoming a volunteer. He said he had seen why we desperately need to end poverty, and what could be done differently, and added: “By ending poverty, people will be freed to make a difference in their life and in their community.”
One of the letters: Dear Prime Minister, from Carrie
Dear Prime Minister,
I am writing to you as a mum of two children, who is working hard to support them in the best way possible. I want to share with you how I believe that truly listening to people with experience of poverty can make a real difference.
Things aren’t easy. I am a lone parent without family support due to bereavements. I struggle every day due to my ill health, and the side effects from my cancer treatment.
Both of my children have special educational needs. I feel that many people don’t want to truly understand our struggles. Some of the schools they have been part of are not understanding of our situation. They don’t follow plans made with early help, or really listen to what we need to support us as a family. I do not receive disability living allowance benefits for my girls as I struggle to fill in the forms.
I feel let down by the whole system at the moment. I am stuck between a rock and a hard place, having to make difficult decisions about how to care for my children and get the income we need. The stress of always having to make tough decisions has a really big impact on us. People in positions of power need to learn to really listen to people’s circumstances and offer support, not restrictions.
Over the last few years, I have been part of the first Poverty Truth Commission in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and it’s changed my life. I think every council should run one. Lived experience voices should be heard in government. A Poverty Truth style programme at a Government level would bring MPs and people of lived experience of poverty into the same circle. MPs should attend Poverty Truth Commission launches and celebrations in their area and take part!
So, Prime Minister, I am writing to ask you to take the first step to really listen to those of us with experience of poverty, and to work with us for change.
From
Carrie, Poole
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