By 2030, around 550,000 children in the UK will be lifted out of poverty – the largest reduction in a single parliamentary term since records began – following the

launch of the Government’s new Child Poverty Strategy today (Friday 5 December).

The strategy, unveiled jointly by the Prime Minister, the Department for Education, and the Department for Work and Pensions, aims to tackle the root causes of child poverty by reducing the cost of essentials, boosting family incomes, and improving local services.

Key measures include:

- Expanding childcare support for families on Universal Credit, including upfront costs for parents returning from parental leave.

- Supporting families with more than two children to access childcare assistance.

- Ending unlawful stays in Bed and Breakfast accommodation beyond six weeks for homeless families, backed by £8 million in emergency housing pilots and £950 million in the Local Authority Housing Fund to deliver up to 5,000 high-quality homes by 2030.

- Helping families save up to £540 on infant formula through clearer retail guidance and the use of loyalty points and vouchers.

- Broader financial support measures announced in the Budget, including £150 off energy bills and a £900 increase to the living wage.

The Government says the strategy will directly benefit 7.1 million children, including 1.4 million living in deep material poverty, and marks the largest reduction in child poverty by any Government in a single Parliament.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “Every child deserves the best possible start in life, with their future no longer determined by the circumstances of their birth. Yet too many children are growing up in poverty, held back from getting on in life, and too many families are struggling without the basics: a secure home, warm meals, and the support they need to make ends meet.

I will not stand by and watch that happen, because the cost of doing nothing is too high for children, for families, and for Britain.

This is a moral mission for me. It’s about fairness, opportunity, and unlocking potential. Our strategy isn’t just about reversing the failures of the past, it sets a new course for national renewal, with children’s life chances at its heart”.

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Pat McFadden said: “Tackling child poverty is an investment in working families and our country’s future.  

There is a direct link between children in poverty growing up to be adults not in work, education or training – we cannot afford to waste a generation’s potential and talents. 

Our strategy will deliver support where families need it most, giving every child a good start in life and giving them the opportunity to succeed”.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “Child poverty is a stain on our country. I’ve seen the damage poverty does first hand, and bearing down on it sits at the very core of this government’s mission.

This strategy, lifting over half a million children out of poverty, represents an historic moment for generations of families now and into the future.

And whether it’s expanding free school meals, rolling out free breakfast clubs, or revitalising family services, we are determined to give every child the very best start in life”.

The reversal of the two-child limit in Universal Credit is a cornerstone of the plan, with the Government noting that around 300,000 children are in poverty directly because of the policy. Removal of the limit is expected to lift 450,000 children out of poverty by 2030, with additional measures pushing the total to 550,000.

The strategy comes amid rising child poverty levels, with 4.5 million children (around 31%) living in relative poverty after housing costs, including 2.6 million in households struggling to afford enough food and over 172,000 in temporary accommodation in England alone.

Prime Minister Starmer is visiting a children’s centre in Wales today to meet families set to benefit from the new measures, following a visit to Glasgow yesterday where he met campaigners and MSPs to discuss the strategy.

Stacey, from Changing Realities an organisation which has supported the development of the Child Poverty Strategy, discussed her experiences with the Prime Minister in Wales today. She said: “This strategy makes a good start to the essential work of addressing record levels of child poverty in this country. Lifting the two-child limit is a step on the road to investing in our children and our social security system, and can only be a good thing in lifting hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty.

After championing the removal of the two-child limit over the last year, even though my own family won’t benefit it is great to finally feel listened to and knowing the difference this change will make. As a parent who knows first-hand the harm poverty causes, I stand ready and determined to continue the work required to ensure that no child in this country faces poverty. I call on all of us to do the same”.

The Child Poverty Taskforce, established shortly after the election, has been credited with shaping the strategy, which the Government says is the first step towards ending child poverty in the UK.

Priya Edwards, senior research and policy manager at Save the Children UK, said:

“Families will be better off under this plan with 7.1 million children seeing their household incomes boosted by the end of this Parliament. Scrapping the two-child limit to benefits, expanding free school meals, and increasing childcare support for families including for those returning to work after maternity leave are bold measures to improve childhoods’ – not the sticking plaster measures of the past. 

Ministers involved in creating the strategy listened extensively to children impacted by deep poverty over many months and we hope this way of working is used as a blueprint for creating policy in future that impacts young people. 

We welcome this expansive and historic plan, and we look forward to seeing the difference it can make to children’s lives in the years to come”.

Dame Clare Moriarty, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice, said: “Child poverty is an issue that blights far too many lives. Government and civil society must work together to prevent children from facing the life-long consequences such hardship brings. The decision to scrap the two-child limit, in particular, is a big step forward that will make a huge and immediate difference to thousands of families. 

Working alongside the Child Poverty Taskforce throughout, we’ve welcomed the spirit of partnership that has infused this work. Continuing this deep collaboration will be essential to realising the ambitions of this strategy, and to tackling other social problems the country faces”.

For the first time, this government will also target reductions in deep material poverty as part of the strategy, which goes beyond a family’s income, to understand children’s experience of poverty and measures the number of children in the UK who are going without essentials such as three meals a day or growing up in a damp-free home. Two million children (14%) are currently in deep material poverty, lacking at least 4 of 13 essential items. Photo by Tom Axford 1, Wikimedia commons.