SIR – In the current climate, with real wages falling, many working people are struggling to make ends meet.

We have seen on the news recently that more and more of the hard-up are being forced to take out pay-day loans with punishing rates of interest, just to get them through the week.

How typical of the Tories to delay state help when it is needed most by stopping welfare payment in the first week of unemployment.

For those on very low income, anyway, this will be a real hardship.

How are they supposed to survive the first week of unemployment, pay rent and other bills?

When William Beveridge set up the welfare state, these were the very people it was meant to help – working people needing a temporary safety net.

This is not charity but something that has been paid for through income tax and which the genuinely unemployed are entitled to.

Such help is more important than ever in these difficult times.

And shame on the Labour Party for considering supporting such a policy.

CHRIS BROWN Worcester