THE UK Government should protect people from going without food and other vital resources, says a Carmarthenshire MP.

Jonathan Edwards, MP for Carmarthen East & Dinefwr, has backed calls by charitable foundations for the government to introduce an ‘Essentials Guarantee’ to help families hit hardest by the cost of living and social inadequacy.

The Trussell Trust and Joseph Rowntree Foundation have called on the UK Government to introduce the guarantee for those on Universal Credit to protect them from going without food, utilities and vital household goods.

Mr Edwards said: “The ongoing increase in the number of those who need food parcels is deeply worrying and is unfortunately yet another symptom of growing inequality.

“No-one should be forced into making impossible decisions about essential priorities such as eating, heating their homes, or clothing their children.

“I support the devolution of social security to Wales so that we can create a society that looks after the most disadvantaged. As well as wealth taxes as a means of generating the revenues required for such a fundamental shift of wealth from the richest to the poorest.

“Until that time, I would call on the UK Government to introduce an ‘Essential Guarantee’ to protect people from going without essentials such as food, utilities and vital household goods.”

The calls come as the Trussell Trust foodbanks gave out almost 1.3 million food parcels between April 2022 and September 2022 due to inadequate social security and the ongoing cost of living crisis.