When Alex Tiffin joined Twitter last month to air his grievances on the troubled Universal Credit roll-out, he could hardly have imagined that he would end up working with Hugh Grant to keep foodbanks stocked.
The wheelchair-bound Scot had just eight followers when he tweeted out how his finances will breakdown on the current benefits system, leaving him with just a paltry £10.50 to get through a fortnight after bills. Now, he has more than 3,200 and has started his own blog, Universal Credit Sufferer, to provide weekly updates on the stark realities of life with the blundering benefits system.
Day (1) update of a #UniversalCredit sufferer
Got my fortnightly £92 today
TV licence £12
Broadband £15
Baby milk £9.50
Fuel £15
Electric & Gas £30Money left for 2 weeks = £10.50
Weekly trip to foodbank.Sat in dark with heating off to budget. Kids tomorrow ????@DWP #poverty
— Alex (@RespectIsVital) May 4, 2018
His remarkable seven-week journey has taken him to BBC news reports as an expert commenting on the release of a damning report on the Universal Credit roll-out. And it has had him brushing shoulders with film stars.
Alex, who also has neurological problems and Crohn’s disease, and claims that he has lost 25 per cent of his body weight since switching to Universal Credit in November, has also made waves on social media with his #foodbankchallenge.
It’s a simple concept: donate to a foodbank, take a picture, share it online with the hashtag. And, crucially, it had the backing of actor Grant. The Love Actually star got in touch with Alex to learn more about Universal Credit after seeing his tweet go viral and donated to an under-threat foodbank in Airdrie to give them a much-needed boost. He has since followed that up with further donations and a visit to Hammersmith and Fulham foodbank near his London home.