Yes minister, child poverty is all relative

Any five-year-old sees that it's not fair for poor families to keep falling further behind the rest of us. But the Tories have decided not to measure that

As I was bundling up a cosy red coat that my five-year-old has outgrown to donate to charity last week, I gently explained to her that while we could just buy ourselves new, warm clothes when winter draws in, not everyone is so lucky.

Not for the first time, I was struck by how obvious it seemed to her - not just that other children shouldn't have to go without, but that we have more than enough, and that that makes others' deprivation more shocking. No child should go cold and hungry at all, but in a society where plenty is the norm, it seems peculiarly senseless.

Family income matters: kids from poorest families are more likely to struggle at school and to suffer health problems

Continue reading...