Alex Salmond, the former leader of the Scottish National Party, has joined a growing number of political heavyweights endorsing The Big Issue manifesto, which puts prevention at the heart of tackling poverty and homelessness.
“I’m backing the Big Issue’s campaign to put poverty – and poverty prevention – at the heart of this election,” says the SNP’s foreign affairs spokesperson, who was succeeded by Nicola Sturgeon as Scotland’s First Minister.
“We all know that poverty and homelessness are interconnected,” he adds. “It’s not just about building houses – although building houses is necessary. It’s also about a range of actions to make sure people don’t become homeless.
“Prevention of poverty and its deep underlying reasons are hugely important, but it takes political commitment. Commitment to recognise that if we work together, we can launch a sustained attack on poverty.”
Whilst Brexit dominates this general election campaign, there are many social problems that need addressing – including around poverty, health, social care, education, literacy, housing and pay equality. The Big Issue believes that these problems should be prevented from happening in the first place, and it seems our voice is being heard, as the UK’s three biggest political parties have made statements about putting prevention at the heart of their strategies to end homelessness.