Dear Prime Minister…

If we’re going to end poverty in the UK, then people with lived experience of the struggle against poverty need to be part of the process. We’re coming together to ask the Prime Minister and key policy makers to meet with people with experience of poverty, and to include their unique insights in the plan to end poverty for good.

Read “Dear Prime Minister…” – 15  letters to Sir Keir Starmer from people with lived experience of poverty

This collection of letters written by people at the sharp end of poverty is being delivered to Keir Starmer to mark his hundredth day in office.

A new government brings the opportunity for new ideas and new voices to drive the change that people experiencing poverty desperately need. The voices in these letters must be central to that change.

From Cornwall, Portsmouth, Poole, Lewes, London, York, Halifax, Cheshire, Morecambe Bay, Lancashire, Glasgow and Orkney, the people who write these letters represent communities who are ready to work with the government to explore how co-designing policies alongside people with lived experience of poverty is the best way to end poverty in the UK.

Click here to read the letters

What are we asking for? 

The expertise of people with lived experience of poverty should be integral when new policies are created to tackle poverty. 

It’s not only morally right to value the perspectives of people who truly understand the impact of poverty, but it’s the best way to create sustainable change. Policy makers and political leaders need to trust the insights brought by people with lived experiences of poverty to craft solutions that genuinely address the complexities of people’s lives. Ignoring these perspectives is not an option if we aim to create meaningful and lasting change. 

That’s why we’re asking the Prime Minister and key leaders to meet with people with lived experience of poverty to consider how lived experience can be embedded in decision making from the outset, and built into any new strategies, reviews and legislation. This is a crucial first step towards creating systems that will end poverty in the UK.

 

What response have we had so far? 

Since the campaign launch on 14 October, we’ve been engaging with political leaders through media and events. On 16th October, Cat Smith MP used her opportunity at Prime Minister’s Questions to ask Sir Keir Starmer about the letters. You can watch his response below. We are pursuing a meeting with Ministers to follow this up.

 

Launch event in the Houses of Parliament

On Tuesday 15th October we launched the letters in the Houses of Parliament. Many of the people who contributed to the letters came along to speak with MPs and Peers, leading to productive and focused conversations about how lived experience can be integrated into decision making. Take a look at some photos from the event here.

Get involved

Add your voices to our call to action by writing postcards to the Prime Minister. Order postcards through our e-form below, gather a group together to write your messages and send them back to us for a collective hand-in event.

Each order will come with a return envelope for you to send them back to us. Perfect for church or faith groups, food banks or local pantry communities, volunteer groups or small groups. 

Each postcard reads:

Dear Prime Minister,
In your manifesto, you said nobody deserves to grow up in poverty. I agree! I want a UK where poverty can’t keep anyone down, and I believe that people with experience of poverty have unique insight to help get us there. We need to end poverty in my community because…

Will you meet people with lived experience of poverty, and enable their input in new policies, so we can end poverty together?

You are invited to add a personalised message about your community to the postcards.