Return of the Tommy Shop: Tories to Introduce Prepaid Cards on ‘Troubled Families’

Prepaid cards for social security claimants with ‘destructive habits’ planned for next year

At the very zenith of the industrial revolution, back when Oldham, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester prospered from the cotton industries, its mill owners wielded great power on its employees. Its working hours, use of child labour and poor conditions led to the rise of the trade union movement. Though some were altruistic and built excellent facilities for their staff (case in point, Hugh Mason House and the Twelve Apostles in Ashton-under-Lyne), the popular image of mill owners was at best devious.