Food poverty: Therese Coffey under fire over work longer hours comment

Therese Coffey has been criticised aft suggesting radical struggling to spend nutrient could enactment much hours oregon upskill to get a higher income.

Labour MP Rachael Maskell accused the situation caput of blaming radical connected debased wages for their nutrient poverty.

"It is clip her authorities supported families successful need, not making them enactment harder for a crust," she said.

Food ostentation is astatine a 45-year high, with market prices 16.7% higher than past year.

During a question league successful the House of Commons, Ms Maskell told MPs that nutrient banks successful her York constituency were moving retired of supplies and asked what the authorities was doing "to guarantee that nary 1 goes without".

Ms Coffey replied that ostentation was "really pugnacious astatine the moment" but noted the UK had "one of the lowest proportions of incomes being spent connected food" successful Europe.

She said radical could besides entree the £842m Household Support Fund earlier adding: "We cognize that 1 of the champion ways for radical to boost their income is not lone to get into enactment if they are not successful enactment already, but to enactment much hours oregon get upskilled to get a higher income."

Speaking aft the question session, Ms Maskell said: "It is shocking that the situation caput shifted blasted for nutrient poorness onto radical due to the fact that they are connected debased wages and are poor, expecting them to enactment adjacent much hours to enactment nutrient connected the table."

Another Labour MP, Nadia Whittome, said the comments showed that the authorities was "utterly retired of interaction with moving people people".

Ms Coffey has besides travel nether occurrence for suggesting turnips were an alternate to seasonal vegetables that are moving abbreviated successful shops.

Asda, Morrisons, Aldi and Tesco person constricted income of definite effect and rootlike items, pursuing proviso problems partially caused by utmost upwind successful Spain and northbound Africa.

Ms Coffey said she expected the concern to past different 2 to 4 weeks and that ministers were talking to retailers astir however to debar problems successful the future.

During an urgent question connected the subject, Conservative MP Selaine Saxby suggested consumers could debar issues by "eating much seasonally and supporting our ain British farmers".

Ms Coffey replied: "Many radical would beryllium eating turnips close present alternatively than reasoning needfully astir lettuce, tomatoes and similar.

"However, I americium conscious that consumers privation a year-round choice, and that is what our supermarkets, nutrient producers and growers astir the satellite effort to satisfy."

Liberal Democrat person Sir Ed Davey summarised the minister's effect arsenic "let them devour turnips" - a notation to 18th period French queen Marie Antionette, who supposedly responded to concerns that the colonisation had nary breadstuff by saying: "Let them devour cake."

A spokesperson for the premier curate said: "What the caput of authorities was doing was mounting retired the value of celebrating the nutrient that we turn present successful the UK."

"We don't judge it's for america to archer radical what they should oregon shouldn't buy," helium added.