麻豆社

In 1942, William Beveridge set out his vision to banish poverty from a post-war society. It would provide economic security for every British citizen, from the cradle to the grave, through a scheme of National Insurance. The incumbent Labour government pledged to make Beveridge鈥檚 proposals a reality, and the welfare state was born.

By the 1960s it seemed the battle against poverty had been won. Britain had a fully functioning welfare state, and bomb-damaged houses and slums had been replaced with modern buildings. But has Britain really escaped the poverty trap today?