A record 9.3 million people, including 3 million children, are facing hunger and hardship across the U.K., according to a study by a top charity on Wednesday, with the new Labour government under pressure to do more to tackle child poverty.
The findings come before the government's first budget later this month, and with a cost of living crisis that has driven soaring use of food banks.
According to a report by the nongovernmental organization (NGO) the Trussell Trust, almost a quarter of children under 4 are facing extreme poverty.
"Shockingly, 46% more children are facing hunger and hardship than two decades ago. That equates to one in five children growing up trapped in this situation," the trust said in a statement.
A UNICEF report last year found that the U.K. – a G-7 and NATO member and the world's sixth biggest economy – has one of the highest rates of child poverty among richer countries.
The Trussell Trust said that without "urgent action" from Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government, the numbers facing hunger and hardship – defined as living 25% below the poverty line – would rise further.
The charity defined the poverty line as 152 pounds ($199) a week for someone living independently and 204 pounds for a single parent with one child. This includes paying electricity, water and property tax bills, as well as food.
Removing a two-child benefit cap – meaning families cannot claim state subsidies for a third child born after April 2017 – is one of the measures that could ease poverty levels, the trust said.
Labour, however, has refused to abolish it despite fierce opposition from campaigners, unions and some of its own lawmakers.
Finance Minister Rachel Reeves has said she will not be able to reverse the cap in her Oct. 30 budget due to what Labour claims is a 22 billion pound ($28.8 billion) black hole left by the last Conservative government.
Wary of accusations of economic recklessness, Labour has instead stuck to a more vague pledge to "develop an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty," and the cap has become a political battleground.
It was cited last month in the resignation letter of the first Labour MP to quit the party since the election at which it ousted Rishi Sunak's Tories.
Rosie Duffield accused the prime minister and his top team of hypocrisy for accepting gifts of expensive clothes and hospitality from rich donors while "choosing to keep the Conservatives' two-child limit."
John McDonnell – who served as left-wing former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's finance spokesperson and was among seven MPs suspended by the party in July for voting for it to be scrapped – has called it a "brutal attack on families."
"Labour in government has a moral duty to end this child's suffering. It is completely affordable and will save money by preventing ill health amongst poorer children," he said.
The cost of living crisis was a major issue at the ballot box.
Over the past two years, workers from across the economy, from doctors and nurses to teachers and train drivers, have walked out over wages that have failed to keep up with inflation.
Helen Barnard, director of policy, research and impact at the Trussell Trust, said the latest figures "should not be the case in one of the richest countries in the world."
"We need urgent action on hunger in the U.K. because, if nothing changes, the number of people facing hunger and hardship will only increase," she added.
