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Nearly 20% of Brits already living in poverty before cost-of-living crisis, report finds

MILLIONS of people in Britain, including 3.9 million children and 1.7m pensioners, were in living in poverty even before the cost-of-living crisis hit, damning figures revealed today.

Around 20 per cent of the population, equating to 13.4m people, were living in poverty in 2020/21, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s annual poverty report found.

The report warned that there are elements in the benefits system that increase poverty, including the two-child limit, five-week wait for universal credit payments and unaffordable debt deductions.

It said that the weekly £20 universal credit uplift helped reduce poverty among larger families and young children.

Withdrawal of the support in October 2021, which coincided with spiralling inflation and the cost-of-living crisis, led to millions going without basics, the foundation said.

About 7.2m people are skipping meals, showers and heating, it found.

“It is clear that the basic rates of benefits are inadequate and do not allow recipients to meet their essential needs,” the report warns.

National Education Union joint general secretary Dr Mary Bousted said that the “harrowing” figures lay bare the scale of hardship inflicted on families by this government’s economic policies.

“Our members see first hand the impact that poverty has on children’s education, affecting their ability to concentrate in school and fulfil their potential,” she said.

“Every child living in poverty is a victim of political inaction.

“The government urgently needs to offer free school meals to all children in primary schools to ensure that no child is left behind and put money back in families’ pockets.”

Scottish National Party social justice spokesman David Linden said that the report must “shock the Tories into action.

“But if we’ve learned anything in the past 13 years it’s that no amount of evidence of suffering will prompt action or a reversal of policies from this UK government,” he added.

“Consecutive Tory governments have prioritised damaging ideology of austerity and support for the rich over efforts to tackle rising rates of child poverty, proving beyond a doubt the need for Scottish independence.”

Shadow work and pensions secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: “The scale of the cost-of living-crisis and its impact on children across the country is devastating.

“Families have struggled through 12 years of Conservative mismanagement of the economy.

“This [report] shows just how far families are now being plunged into hardship because [the Tories] crashed the economy.”

A government spokesman said it is committed to halving inflation this year to ease the cost-of-living.

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