Asylum support cuts 'will worsen poverty levels' charities warn

Cuts to asylum support will plunge families deeper into poverty, a number of charities have warned.

The new policy means a parent with two children claiming asylum in the UK will get £110.85 in state support, rather than the £149.86 they received previously.

This reduction will make it impossible for families to meet their essential living needs, according to the British Red Cross, Children's Society, Refugee Action and Refugee Council.

Norman McKinley, managing director of the British Red Cross, said: "These cruel cuts will plunge families into further poverty, making it agonisingly tough for parents to feed their children, and practically impossible to buy clothes and other essential items."

Refugee Action claimed that nearly 40% of asylum seekers already struggle to feed themselves and their children, while 88% say they do not have enough money to buy clothes.

The charity's chief executive Stephen Hale said: "These cuts will make life even tougher for some of the most vulnerable people in our society.

"Coupled with recent Government proposals to exclude some families from support altogether, it's clear that the Government is using the situation in Calais as cover for increasing poverty and suffering among families seeking safety from persecution."