Report: UK Poverty 2025, Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF)
What are the main points?
- There will be no progress on child poverty (apart from in Scotland) by 2029 and the gap between UK countries will widen without adequate policy changes. That’s even with high economic growth, analysis from JRF suggests.
- Only Scotland would see child poverty rates fall by 2029: closer to 1 in 5 children would be in poverty, compared to 1 in 3 in England, showing the power of social security policy.
- Currently, 4.3 million children are living in poverty, with child poverty rates higher in England (30%) and Wales (29%) than Scotland (24%) and Northern Ireland (23%).
- JRF are calling for more investment in social security, including abolishing the two-child limit and introducing a protected minimum amount of support from Universal Credit to reflect the real costs for families.
EXPERT THOUGHT
Paul Kissack, JRF chief executive said: ‘We can’t expect children to be ready for school or able to learn if they’re going without the basics. Growing up in poverty can also lead to poor health, increasing pressure on the NHS. Child poverty will only be driven down through focused, deliberate and determined policy action.’
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