The number of British youngsters living in poverty will reach 5 million by the end of the decade unless politicians take their promises to eradicate child poverty seriously, the charity Save the Children has warned.
In an outspoken attack on the political establishment the charity accuses all the main parties of lacking the credibility and willpower to deliver on their shared legal requirement to radically cut child poverty levels.
It says 5 million children – up from 3.5 million currently – will be living in poverty by 2020 if planned welfare spending cuts go ahead and no action is taken to alleviate the growing cost of living pressures on Britain’s poorest families.
All the mainstream political parties treat the Child Poverty Act as “window dressing”, the charity says, and none have a viable strategy to achieve it.
Save the Children chief executive Justin Forsyth said: “Our political class is sleepwalking towards the highest levels of child poverty since records began while promising to eradicate it completely.” Read more
