U.K. Austerity Under Spotlight as In-Work Poverty Persists

Almost 2.5 million British workers were living in poverty in 2017, a statistic that may fuel criticism over the scale of hardship in the U.K. after almost a decade of austerity.

The figures come after a United Nations report accused the government of ideological spending cuts since 2010 that led to “tragic” consequences for some. The claims by Philip Alston, the UN’s special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, were rejected by the government.