More than half of black children growing up in poverty, warns Labour
Katy Morton
Thursday, January 6, 2022
According to Labour party analysis of Government figures, the number of children from black households growing up in poverty has more than doubled since 2010.
The analysis of Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) figures show that when the Conservatives took power in 2010-11, there were just over 200,000 children from black households living in poverty. By 2019-20 that figure rose to over 410,000 – a 101 per cent increase over the decade.
Labour says that the figures mean today that more than half (53 per cent) of all black children are now growing up in poverty, equivalent to one in ten of all children across the country and more than double the rate for white children.
The analysis follows calls from Labour’s shadow women and equalities secretary, Anneliese Dodds, for a new Race Equality Act to tackle ‘structural racial inequality at source.’
Dodds said, ‘There is little wonder that child poverty has skyrocketed over the last decade when Conservative ministers have done so little to tackle the structural inequalities driving it.
‘More than a year since Labour’s Lawrence Review into the disproportionate impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on black, Asian and minority ethnic people, it’s also unacceptable that they have still not implemented its 20 recommendations.
‘Conservative incompetence and denialism about the existence of structural racism are driving black children into poverty. Labour has a plan to lift them out of it, with a new Race Equality Act to tackle structural racial inequality at source.’
A Government spokesperson said, ‘The latest official figures show there were 300,000 fewer children of all backgrounds in poverty after housing costs than in 2010 and we continue to provide extensive support to reduce this number further.
‘This includes putting £1,000 more per year on average into the pockets of the lowest earners through changes to universal credit, increasing the minimum wage next April to £9.50 per hour and helping with the cost of fuel bills.’
Separate research by Labour suggests the cost of living has pushed up the price of a child’s school lunchbox by an estimated 11 per cent, putting more financial pressure on families.
