因此，政策制定者在“最低收入标准”的标题下考虑了英国的最低收入水平。最低收入标准估计了个人购买一篮子商品和服务所需的收入水平(Julia, 2011)。但一篮子商品和服务又是一个相对的概念，而不是绝对的，因为它取决于个人的日常需求。例如，根据个人的需要，今天的篮子可以包括几年前没有的物品。因此，可以说，最低收入标准与相对贫困的概念有着内在的联系，而不是绝对贫困的概念。除此之外，可以说，没有其他明显的方法来确定贫困的阈值水平。在社会学研究中，绝对贫困被相对贫困的概念所取代(Spencer & Stephen, 2002)。相对贫困衡量的是一个人相对于周围其他人而言，对资源的剥夺程度。根据欧盟、英国政府的研究人员和作者，以及全球决策者的观点，相对贫困并不重要，这不是一个有效的论点。
Thus, the threshold levels in UK have been considered under the heading of “minimum income standards” by the policymakers. The minimum income standards estimate the level of income required by an individual to purchase a basket of goods and services (Julia, 2011). But the basket of goods and services is again a relative concept than absolute, as it depends on the individual daily needs. For instance, as per the needs of individuals, a basket today may comprise of items which were not there few years back in history. Hence, it can be said that the minimum income standards are inherently related to the concept of relative poverty and not absolute poverty. In addition to this, it can be said that there is no other obvious ways to define the threshold level of poverty.In sociological research, the absolute poverty is replaced by the concept of relative poverty (Spencer & Stephen, 2002). Relative poverty measures the deprivation of resources to a person who is poor as compared to other people in the surrounding. As per the views of researchers and authors across European Union, the government in the United Kingdom, and the policymakers across the globe, it is not a valid argument that relative poverty does not hold much importance.
Relative poverty is based on the belief that no individual should be deprived of living with resources that are available for other individuals on an average, or no one should be excluded from the social customs and patterns of living. In a country like UK, there should be a defined level of standards below which no individual should fall. It is implied that as a country becomes wealthier, the level of resources and income required for adequate living would rise, thus changing the norms of the society. With the growth in the average income of the country, the poor have to keep up with it in order not to be excluded or deprived from the opportunities enjoyed by the rest of the people in society. The overall cohesion of society is reduced if a significant number of individuals fall below the minimum income standards. Thus, in order to main clarity and consistency, a headline threshold level is used in both European Union and in UK. This headline threshold states that a household income which is less than 60 percent of the present-day median household income is used.