[bubblegun]

It's cruel for someone who has worked all their life and finds themselves in the position where they cannot get a new job.
They are unlikely to apply until things get desperate and that they then have to potentially wait another 6 weeks until they can get any help.
That's where the cruelty lies.

Lifelong benefits layabouts get no sympathy, but unfortunately there's no flexibility in this new system. Even then, why should children of these people be punished for their poor life choices? Ideally some sort of system where only food and school clothes can be bought from the extra child benefits should be implemented but the administration of this would be very expensive so the government is happy to just do it as they do now.