I have today, Wednesday, called on the Government to take urgent action after new figures were released that show over 40 per cent of children in Leicester are growing up in poverty – which is a rise of almost three per cent in the last year. Here in Leicester West we have over 11,600 children living in poverty.  

These shameful figures lay bare this Government’s failure to tackle child poverty, harming their life chances and our country’s future success.

Children living in poverty are more likely to start school months behind children from better off backgrounds. They are also less likely to do well at school, go onto further education, earn the same salaries as their better off peers and therefore find a way out of the poverty trap.

Poverty doesn’t just affect families on benefits, it’s also working parents who are increasingly finding themselves and their children trapped in poverty. The shambolic introduction of Universal Credit and the rise in zero hours contacts alongside increasing rents and the rising cost of living mean more and more families across Leicester are struggling.

I believe that no child should be growing up in poverty. The Government must wake up to this crisis and take urgent action to ensure every child has an equal chance in life.