Half of all children in lone-parent families are in relative poverty

Exclusive: IFS study shows impact of Tory cuts to benefits and cost of living crisis on single mothers

• I'm feeling the squeeze': single mothers on the living costs crisis

Half of all children in lone-parent families are now living in relative poverty, according to exclusive research that shows how a decade of austerity-driven cuts to benefits has left single parents among the most exposed to soaring inflation.

In the first of a series of reports from the frontline of the cost of living crisis, the Guardian reports today on the impact of cuts to state support by successive Conservative governments, which have left women raising their children alone in a much weaker position to cope with the shocks of the pandemic and rising prices of basics such as food and heating.