Hand-to-Mouth: Rise in UK Working Poor as Spending Cuts Bite

August 10, 2012 from Russia Today

Despite being in work, millions of Britons earning just the legal minimum wage are forced to live well below the poverty line. As the British government tries to deal with a huge budget deficit, planned cuts will force the UK's poorest deeper into debt despair. RT's Laura Smith explains.

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United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom and Britain, is a sovereign state located off the north-western coast of continental Europe. The country includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of... Explore this topic

UK Government

Her Majesty's Government, commonly referred to as HM Government, the British Government or the UK Government, is the central government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The Government is led by the Prime Minister, who selects all the remaining Minis... Explore this topic

Government budget deficit

The Government budget balance, also commonly referred to as general government balance, public budget balance, or public fiscal balance, is the overall result of a country's general government budget over the course of an accounting period, usually one year. It includes all go... Explore this topic

Working class

Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs, often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes. Working classes are mainly found in industrialized economies ... Explore this topic

Poverty threshold

The poverty threshold, or poverty line, is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a given country. In practice, like the definition of poverty, the official or common understanding of the poverty line is significantly higher in developed countries than in developing co... Explore this topic

Minimum wage

A minimum wage is the lowest hourly, daily or monthly remuneration that employers may legally pay to workers. Equivalently, it is the lowest wage at which workers may sell their labor. Although minimum wage laws are in effect in many jurisdictions, differences of opinion exist... Explore this topic

David Cameron

David William Donald Cameron is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. He represents Witney as its Member of Parliament (MP). Cameron studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics ... Explore this topic

Poverty

Poverty is the state of one who lacks a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution refers to the deprivation of basic human needs, which commonly includes food, water, sanitation, clothing, shelter, health care and education. Relative pove... Explore this topic

Russia Today

RT, also known as Russia Today, is an international multilingual Russian-based television network. It is registered as an autonomous non-profit organization funded by the federal budget of Russia through the Federal Agency on Press and Mass Communications of the Russian Federa... Explore this topic

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United Kingdom

UK Government

Government budget deficit

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