Christians Against Poverty (CAP) has called upon incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham to make a “commitment” to tackling poverty.
CAP reaffirmed that it is not a party-political organisation, saying that it was praying for politicians from all parties to “receive God’s wisdom, compassion and strength and that their decisions will be made with a heart to help people living in poverty”.
The group reaffirmed that its mission remained to – as it says in the book of Proverbs – “Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute. Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
CAP said it wished the new government would commit to prioritising the plight of those facing “unmanageable debt and poverty”.
“We acknowledge it’s a big problem that requires big solutions but commitment and collaboration to tackling poverty from the new Prime Minister would be a real boost of hope to many," it said.
During his time as mayor of Greater Manchester, Burnham made ending rough sleeping one of his priorities. He was highly critical of the two-child benefit cap, which many anti-poverty campaigners claim is a contributor to child poverty.
On his second day in office Burnham spoke of the need to bring the cost of living down and, in an arguably symbolic move, pledged to scrap VAT on household electricity bills. According to the BBC, the move will save the average household £45 per year.
Critics, including Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, have suggested that one of the reasons energy bills are so high is the energy policies of Ed Miliband, who served as Energy Secretary under Keir Starmer. Under Burnham, Miliband has been moved to the foreign office.
On his own personal faith, Burnham was raised a Catholic and has said the Church’s social teaching about the inherent dignity of every person made a lasting impact on him. However, he has also said that, despite the Church informing his values, he is “not particularly religious”.
