Less people living in Absolute Poverty according to Mrs May

silverlining48 you have the point exactly. She was asked about the rise in numbers of children and families living in poverty (and they are up) she ignored the question and announced that those iving in Absolute Poverty were down. She didn't give any figures of course, but it's disgusting anyway.

I did a bit of study in the 80’s and Poverty was generally divided into Absolute and relative. Poverty in this country is usually relative apart from a very few cases.

Sorry, it does mean that too many still are

Nobody is suggesting that no one is in poverty and, yes, someone needing to use a food bank is in poverty.There are also many people in poverty who are not using food banks. All Mrs May was saying was overall there are fewer of them

Nor do people want to live on the streets, if fewer are living on the streets it does not mean that too many still are, and there will always be some, who are so alienated that they do prefer it.

We had one man locally, a friend did all she could to help him, but he did not want to be helped. Whatever had alienated him had done it so thoroughly that he absolutely refused to engage with those wanting to help him, presumably preferring life on the streets.

There will always be short term homeless; thrown out by family or partner, or temporarily out of funds who spend possibly a few weeks on the streets then get a roof over their heads again.

So, would going to food banks not be classed as poverty? Genuine question, I'm not trying to argue a point. I think if I was unfortunate enoughbto have to rely on a food bank I'd feel impoverished. And do you really think some people prefer to live on the streets, I'm not sure I do.

I clicked on this thread, expecting to see all the usual suspects names and instead found a rational discussion.

Mrs May clearly spoke ungrammatically and with an absence of precision. A perfect example of the importance of good grammar and careful use of vocabulary.

I would imagine the information she was trying to impart: that fewer people are living in poverty comes from statistics provided by the Office of National Statistics and is, in my opinion, good news, regardless of the colour of the government in power when this happens.

No one should be living in absolute poverty , some homeless choose to. In fairness to May she wasn't boasting just giving figures

She is not boasting. She is saying there are fewer, and that is progress towards the ultimate goal of no-one living in that condition, unless they choose to, as some always will.

Exactly.

Yes, there will always be a few because nothing's perfect. That statement is not condoning anything, just facing reality.

No, you are not alone.

There will always be a few though, rough sleepers as the homeless are called ,amongst them.
Thankfully, very few.

Did she really say less people?