THE government must act now to help vulnerable families, a charity warned today as it launched its largest-ever winter food distribution programme amid a severe cost-of-living crisis.

Islamic Relief UK is distributing food packs across the country to more than 42,000 people and its local partners, which include football clubs such as Liverpool FC and Aston Villa, have reported increased numbers of people using their foodbank services as they are no longer able to adequately afford to feed their families.

The charity is calling on the government to bring back the £20 uplift to universal credit (UC), raise benefit payments in line with inflation, and for a fundamental review of the social security system to ensure benefits provide people with adequate income to cover their most basic needs.