Are politicians doing enough for Britain’s poorest people? ‘It’s not ok to leave that to charity’

Dame Louise Casey led the scheme to arrange temporary accommodation for thousands of rough sleepers at the start of the pandemic. Now, with most of the country likely to face Covid restrictions for many more months, she says the government must “resurrect a sense of kindness and giving” to help people struggling in the “tough months of January and February”.

We spoke to her on a visit to the Queens Crescent Community Association, one of London’s busiest foodbanks, where there are often queues for hot meals. She told me she believed politicians were failing the country’s poorest people.