Tuesday briefing: What needs to be done to tackle child poverty in the UK
In today’s newsletter: More than one-fifth of ‘austerity-generation’ British children live in poverty. Our social policy editor talks about the damage done and the way forward The austerity years cast a long shadow over Britain. In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, a programme of cuts overseen by then-chancellor George Osborne and the work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith gutted parts of the welfare state, limiting the generosity of what is now universal credit, introducing a bedroom tax and the two-child limit for child benefit. By 2021, an estimated £37bn had been cut from welfare spending each year alone, with further cuts made to other branches of government. The consequences of these decisions are all around us. Around four million children were classified as living in poverty in the UK, according to the most recent figures. This week, a University of Oxford study revealed that more than one-fifth of all “austerity generation” British children – that is, children born since 2013 – have been scarred by poverty for at least half their childhood. Southport attack | Axel Rudakubana was able to carry out the Southport atrocity because of “catastrophic” failures by multiple agencies and the “irresponsible and harmful” role of his parents, a damning inquiry has found . Middle East crisis | The US blockade of ships using Iranian ports in the Gulf began on Monday evening , turning the six-week-old conflict between the US-Israeli coalition and Iran into a test of economic endurance. Health | Metabolic liver disease (MASLD) will affect 1.8 billion people worldwide by 2050, driven by rising obesity and blood sugar levels, according to a new report . There are now 1.3 billion people worldwide living with MASLD, a 143% increase in just three decades. Scotland | A funding deal to raise £100m from private investors for urgently needed nature restoration in Scotland has fallen through without the Scottish parliament being told, the Guardian has learned . XL bully ban | Police spending on kennels and veterinary bills in England and Wales has more than tripled since the XL bully ban came into force, with some forces recording an almost 500% spending increase since 2024. Continue reading...