Tackling child poverty - a moral mission

Despite Bristol being a wealthy city, parts of my constituency count among the most deprived places in England, with over 50% of children in some parts of south Bristol living in poverty. Children in Bristol South are more than twice as likely to be on free school meals as in Bristol Central. Under the Tories, 900,000 children fell into poverty across our country, a record that should shame them.

Addressing child poverty is a moral mission for this Government, but it is also an investment in our future. We know that children who grow up in poverty are more likely to experience mental and physical health issues, to do worse at school, to work less, to go on to earn less than their peers and to experience homelessness, locking in decades of increased welfare and health spending at a young age.

When this Labour Government was elected in 2024, one of the first actions taken by the new Prime Minister, Keir Starmer was to establish the Child Poverty Taskforce. On 5 December, the Taskforce published its final Child Poverty Strategy, and as a result we are now set to see the largest reduction in child poverty in a single Parliament since records began. I know what a difference this will make to thousands of children across Bristol South.

One of the most significant measures from the strategy was announced at the Autumn Budget, namely the abolition of the two-child benefit cap. This cruel Tory policy failed in its own terms and pushed tens of thousands of children into poverty, punishing them for circumstances beyond their control. This policy alone will lift 450,000 children out of poverty, with over 3,500 children in Bristol South benefitting from April of next year.

Earlier this year, the government also announced that free school meals (FSM) would be extended to all children in households on Universal Credit from the start of the new school year in 2026. This measure will lift a further 100,000 children out of poverty and will see over 8,000 children in Bristol South to be eligible for FSM.

I am particularly pleased at the action being taken to reform the Child Maintenance Service (CMS). Issues with the CMS come up all too often in my constituency inbox, and the changes announced by this Government will ensure more kids are benefitting fully and promptly from the support they are owed. These changes could result in a further 20,000 children taken out of poverty.

Through further measures, such as increases to the minimum wage, strengthened employment rights and expanded free childcare, the Government is helping to tackle insecure work and poverty pay, giving parents greater ability to work. The roll out of free breakfast clubs is a win-win for parents and kids, with mums and dads getting back more time in their day to get to work and children being able to socialise with friends and start the day well fed and ready to learn.

This is the change that a Labour Government delivers.