George Osborne says benefits should be capped at £20,000 to meet average earnings – but working families take home £31,500

When George Osborne first introduced a £26,000 a year benefits cap I was working as a community organiser for the unemployed, and saw the poorest people reeling from its impact. One day a man came to see me asking for help filling a form to claim benefits. I read out one of the questions on the form: what kind of work are you looking for, I asked?  Any work, he replied. Then he shifted in his chair, and began to cry.