{"id":81177,"date":"2025-03-28T07:25:29","date_gmt":"2025-03-28T07:25:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/?p=81177"},"modified":"2025-03-28T07:25:29","modified_gmt":"2025-03-28T07:25:29","slug":"4-5-million-children-in-poverty-demand-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/2025\/03\/28\/4-5-million-children-in-poverty-demand-action\/","title":{"rendered":"4.5 million children in poverty demand action"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are going to be<\/a> 4.5 million children living in poverty in the UK soon, with Labour's policies increasing that number by at least 250,000.<\/p>\n

I continue to be shocked by these statistics. In a country that is rich and which has supposedly got around \u00a315 trillion worth of financial assets, according to the Office for National Statistics, it is shocking that any child should have to live in poverty.<\/p>\n

It is worse that the number of children living in poverty is growing.<\/p>\n

It is worse still that this number is increasing as a result of the deliberate decisions made by a Labour government. A Labour government in name only, I should add, because there is nothing that this Labour government is doing that is in any way associated with the concerns of the vast majority of people who have ever been members of, worked for or shared sympathy with that party.<\/p>\n

It is even more shocking that so conceited are those who are well off that many of them are more than happy to live with this fact despite the harm that we know that being brought up in poverty creates for those children who have to suffer in this way, and the fact that the impact can be enduring for a lifetime.<\/p>\n

I was challenged by a commentator<\/a> on this blog last night to create a 'Blueprint for a New Britain', bringing together policy ideas that could tackle the problems that we, as a country, face. Tired as I was last night, I spent an hour sketching out some ideas. When you know that 4.5 million children might go to bed in households that can only keep them in poverty, there seems to be no excuse for not trying to do so.<\/p>\n

We need to be radical.<\/p>\n

We need to change.<\/p>\n

We need to create the difference that might make things like the eradication of child poverty possible.<\/p>\n

We need to create something that is entirely new, which is an economy and a political system based upon the concept of care, which might forever consign childhood poverty to history.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m thinking about this.<\/p>\n

Four and a half million children are demanding that, whether they know it or not.<\/p>\n

But let me be clear, the answer is not another Red Nose Day. Sticking plasters are not required. Radical rethinking of required action is what is needed now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There are going to be 4.5 million children living in poverty in the UK soon, with Labour’s policies increasing that number by at least 250,000.
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