Church leader attacks welfare reform

14 February 2014 Last updated at 20:31

Catholic archbishop attacks welfare reform

The Archbishop of Westminster says there is a "real dramatic crisis"

The leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales has labelled the government's social reform a "disgrace" for leaving people facing "destitution".

Cardinal-designate Vincent Nichols said the "basic safety net" for the poorest families has been "torn apart".

The Archbishop of Westminster claimed there was now a "real dramatic crisis".

The government responded by saying welfare reforms will "transform the lives" of the poorest families.

Speaking to the Telegraph, Archbishop Nichols, the most senior Roman Catholic cleric in England and Wales, said the welfare state was becoming "more punitive".

"I think what's happening is two things", he said.

"One is that the basic safety net, that was there to guarantee that people would not be left in hunger or in destitution has actually been torn apart. It it no longer exists, and that is a real real dramatic crisis.

"And the second is that, in this context, the administration of social assistance - I am told - has become more and more punitive."

'Meet basic needs'

"So, if applicants don't get it right then they have to wait and they have to wait for 10 days, for two weeks - with nothing, with nothing. And that's why the role of food banks has become so crucial for so many people in Britain today.

"And for a country of our affluence that quite frankly is a disgrace."

The attack comes just days before Archbishop Nichols will be one of 19 new cardinals from around the world who will be appointed by Pope Francis at the Vatican.

A spokesman for the Department of Work and Pensions replied by saying the previous benefits system was "trapping" the very people it was designed to help.

"Our welfare reforms will transform the lives of some of the poorest families in our communities with universal credit making three million households better off and lifting hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty", the spokesman said.

"It's wrong to talk of removing a safety net when we're spending £94bn a year on working age benefits and the welfare system supports millions of people who are on low incomes or unemployed so they can meet their basic needs."