Seabrook speaks to those whose support from the state is now being withdrawn, rendering their lives unsustainable. This is a brutally honest account of the destruction of the welfare state by successive governments, and presents the reality behind the headlines of 'benefit scroungers' etc.

Jeremy Seabrook is a journalist and writer who has written for the New Statesman, Guardian, Time, and Independent. He writes plays for stage and TV and is the author of many books, including Pauperland: Poverty and the Poor in Britain and The Song of the Shirt: The High Price of Cheap Garments, from Blackburn to Bangladesh.