By last night almost 300,000 people had signed an online petition challenging Mr Duncan Smith to survive on £53 a week, or £7.57 a day, after he insisted he could "if I had to".
It was set up when David Bennett, a market trader, told BBC Radio 4 that the sum was all he had to live on after his housing benefit was cut - and Mr Duncan Smith responded by claiming he could manage on that amount.
The row began as cuts to benefits came into force this week. They include reductions of up to 25 per cent in housing benefit payments if recipients are deemed to have spare rooms - the so-called "bedroom tax" - and below-inflation increases in benefit rates.
Disability living allowance is being replaced by the personal independence payment, while trials are due to begin in four London boroughs of a £500-a-week cap on household benefits. The first pilot of the new Universal Credit system also begins this month.
Some readers comments;
He owns several homes, has huge public and private income, engaged in expenses scams, is a sociopath and a failed military man. He's basically like the christmas grinch, and quite honestly reminds me of Mr Burns from the Simpsons. Just a hateful man - a living grim reaper
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Maythefarcebewithyou olympic • 19 hours ago
You forgot to mention he is also a failed candidate for Prime Minister, having been rejected in a general election. (Come to think of it, so was Cameron)
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Quizzimodo Maythefarcebewithyou • 7 hours ago
IDS never got as far as a general election. Even the Tories realized he is totally unelectable
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Maybe he made a mistake and thought they meant £53 per day!
I suppose you could buy food for £53 per week, if you were careful, but what about heating bills, water rates, repairs, bus fares etc.? He has also not given any thought to the hidden costs that come with disability!
The man is clearly a fool, and unfit for Government.
Agree totally, he should really give it a try, especially if he lived in the countryside without the infrastructure of a city, i.e. public transport and the extortionate fuel prices..........maybe I should offer him my cottage for a week and see how he gets on.
People are saying for him to try and live on £53 a week but if they want him to see how he would manage it would have to be at least a month as a week would be too easy. I say he needs to do something like the secret millionaire program, where he moves into some other place that has extra bedroom as more expensive to heat. Instead of it being for one week like the others do, for it to be 4 to 6 weeks. They should do it over their summer holiday from parliament, so no expensive holiday as he wouldn't be able to afford it.
Maybe he should also be subject to applying online for benefits, not have a computer. He should then have an Atos medical or the return to work jobseekers process of applying for jobs online or go through Atos appeal.
Hopefully that would make him squirm at how badly we can be treated and also show public that know they are not behind the government.
I agree but it should be done in the winter time and when it is freezing, the heating costs alone he would use his £53. I bet his houses are heated 24/7 all winter.
He would also need a washing machine die so has to find the money to buy a new/second hand one and not just go wardrobe and take out what he wants to wear. Bet he does not know where his washing machine is let alone how to use it.
I agree with all of this I have pre-payment meters a relic from the last tory government, it is fear of situations like this that prevent me from moving to the monthly debit or 3 monthly bill system (am I now glad I haven't) it costs between £30/40 a week depending on season just to keep these topped up...then there is the water rates about £8 a week now the bedroom tax..£20 a week that averages to round up about £70, so where is the money for food? I know I am one of a couple so we get a little more than a single person, But I would say these bills are round about the same for all, and that is just the tip of the iceberg. God we are going back to Dickensian levels what will be the next innovation the reintroduction of workhouses?
Already done, the modern version of the workhouse is called workfare where you have to work for no pay, which has been declared unlawful by a high court judge, but with a few changes to the rules, it is still operating.
He should also have to buy clothes and shoes out of this and presents for children, grand children, and pay for travel to an out of town consultant Dr. appointment, as well as paying the interest on the money he ows the bank and the exorbitant bank charges when he goes over drawn by a couple of poundswhen he finds it's actually not possible to live on that little. The will be more beggars on the streets. . .
I could claim I COULD live on fresh air and nothing else... Doesn't mean to say I have any intention of doing it..... Mmm now who does that remind me of.....
The benefit payments and the amount that the Government say that is acceptable to live on.....How can anyone live on £53 per week..??
I receive Carers Allowance for caring for my son, I receive £58 per week..............
I care 24/7 but the rules state you must care for at least 35 hrs per week...... £58 divided by 35 hrs = £1.65 per hour.
And to further degrade you they tell you that you can't earn most than £100 per week if you work....
I'am fortunate to have a small pension........Which I paid for during my working life and because of this payments I'am not entitled to any further benefits or support...
I get care allowance for my hubby but as he receives a little income support (or whatever it is known as these days) they take £30 a week back so I just get £28 a week. So in terms of hourly rate for the 35 hours it is less than 1p per hour.
Oh but you must not forget the government are ever generous in that they do pay an insurance stamp for you so you can be eligible for a state pension...which by their reckoning won't be worth much in future anyway. Think the politicians live on cloud nine cuckoo land.
He lied about his education and qualifications, he did indeed sign on when he was twice out of work but he failed to mention that he lived in a £2,000,000 home which was owned by his wife's wealthy father. The man and the rest of the cabinet are all multi-millionaires who are so far removed from the lives of ordinary people that they haven't got a clue about 'life' They've never had to worry about how they're going to afford to feed the kids, pay for petrol or heating bills. I despair grrrrr... sorry, rant over
this goverment is full of fools that would not know what it is ti struggle or go hungry.i have started to make pickles and sauces and fruit tarts to swap for different veg and bread. othewise i could not afford to eat every day..watched the news and the goverment are going to have make a decision about helping cancer people but what is the bet that they will find away ofnot helping the people.why don,t this goverment try and live on what theyexpect all oof us to live on..they would start crying they would not know how to manage with out some one to wipe their useless bums.and they could not manage with out the cheap meals and their tax cuts, and chauffer driven cars that ia paid by tax payers. this a useless goverment and the sooner they leave the better but saying that what else is left milliband not a good option. i don,t think he is some one i would like in number 10.
At the end of the day all politicians are the same, full of empty promises they can't keep. The main issues of people misusing the system needs to be addressed I will agree with that but not at the cost of those who are genuine claimants, to have lay people and people who have no grounding in medicine to make judgements is wrong, In fact when they make the discision to cut benefits of claimants who have various professionals back up their claims, like my daughter in law says (she's a GP) it makes a mockery of all their years of training in med school at the same time making them out to be liars and cheats themselves.
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