Oxfam Charity Calls on UK Prime Minister to Close Wealth Gap

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — British anti-poverty charity, Oxfam, urged UK Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday to take measures to tackle the inequality gap.

Earlier in July, UK Prime Minister Theresa May mentioned the necessity to review the country’s economy in order for more people to improve their well-being and expressed criticism towards irresponsible business practice in her speech on the economic agenda, following the Brexit vote.

"Oxfam welcomes the fact the government is embracing this agenda and believes that efforts to address inequality, particularly by looking at the role of businesses, can help reunite the country and ensure we have an economy that works for everyone," the charity organization said in the media briefing paper.

In the briefing note, the anti-poverty organization introduced a four-point plan, enumerating the steps that the UK government and business need to take to narrow the gap between the "haves" and "have-nots." The plan involves providing employees with more significant role by increasing their representation on boards, supporting employers in low paying sectors, encouraging people to up-skill to become resilient to poverty, redistributing companies’ income to reduce the gap in the rates of pay and combating tax avoidance.

The richest one percent of the British population possesses 20 times more wealth than the total of the poorest 20 percent, according to the Oxfam briefing note, based on the data published by Credit Suisse in the "Global Wealth Databook 2015".