well if 26k in your opinon is not enough to support 2 people, then maybe you should be telling the gov this and asking them to increase the minimum wage to your figure
do you have a figure that should be applied to Europeans in the UK wanting to bring their spouse?
also what about the earning potential of the spouse, my wife earns double what i earn, in a few years she will earn 4 times what i earn
why should there be a minimum figure, if the British partner is entitled to claim benefits, then it is their legal right to claim those benefits, and so it should be whether his wife is british, european, asian or from planet mars