Our mission is not just incomplete, it may be totally lost
IN 1999, speaking at Toynbee Hall, I set out a clear aim that our generation would be the first “to end child poverty for ever” through a “20-year mission”.
2020 marks the year by which I had hoped we would have met this goal of eradicating child poverty. Sadly, despite the progress under the Labour government, it remains a mission not just yet to be completed but in danger of being lost.
During Labour’s time in office we took a million children out of poverty. Absolute and relative measures of child poverty fell significantly. This was driven by carefully defined policy action.
A key element of these improvements was the increased spending Labour made on benefits and tax credits, resulting in an additional £18billion in spending on benefits for families with children.
This was aligned with ambitious policies like the National Minimum Wage, Sure Start, increased support for childcare, maternity and paternity pay and leave, dramatic increases in spending on education and an increase in young people going on to higher education.
A report by the IFS showed that the overall distributional impact of tax and benefit changes under the last Labour government saw the poorest 10% of households gain by around 13% in their incomes, while the richest 10% lost by almost 9%.
We reduced child poverty with a progressive approach to tax and spending. Sadly, this progress on child poverty has been lost over the last decade.
The deep cuts made by the coalition government had a significant impact on many areas, but particularly on child poverty.
Sure Start centres have been closed, with between 500 and 1,000 shut since 2010.
Benefits have been frozen, with household incomes under growing pressure. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation cites the freeze as the biggest single driver behind rising poverty. There are now 4.2 million children living in poverty, 600,000 more than in 2011/12. This figure is projected, according to the Social Mobility Commission, to rise to 5.2 million by 2022. As the action taken under my government shows, this situation is not inevitable.
Every child living in poverty is a stain on our nation. That millions still do so is nothing short of a national tragedy. Targeted government spending and policy has a significant impact on reducing child poverty.
When I set the target of eradicating child poverty entirely by 2020 I knew the goal was ambitious. But the imperative of helping our children have the best start in life couldn’t be more pressing.
As the economic anaesthetic of government stimulus to support the economy during Covid starts to wear off, I worry greatly about what faces our country, particularly our children.
Especially given the impacts the virus and lockdown have had on our education system.
All of this is before we factor in an imminent hard Brexit.
I call on the Government to recommit to the task of bearing down on child poverty.
The incredible work Marcus Rashford has been doing on free school meals shows the urgency g y of the task and the scale of support for action.
No family should have to rely on food banks to survive.
Targets are sometimes maligned but they clarify the mind and the mission.
Let’s recommit to eradicating child poverty within a generation.
I worry greatly about what faces our country, particularly our children