The United Nations has issued a warning about British children showing up at school with empty stomachs, in a report that accuses UK government policies of inflicting “great misery unnecessarily”.
Philip Alston, the UN’s special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, spoke out following a 12-day visit to the UK.
He highlighted a “striking and almost complete disconnect” between government assurances that there is no extreme poverty in the UK and what he “consistently heard from many people, directly, across the country”.
The government said it "completely disagreed" with his analysis.
In a statement issued today, Professor Alston said: “Children are showing up at school with empty stomachs, and schools are collecting food on an ad hoc basis and sending it home because teachers know that their students will otherwise go hungry.”
He added that he had spoken with people who “don’t have a safe place for their children to sleep”, and met “children who are growing up in poverty, unsure of their future” and “young people who feel gangs are the only way out of destitution”.
Professor Alston accused the government of being “in a state of denial”, adding: “Despite making some reluctant tweaks to basic policy, there has been a determined resistance to change in response to the many problems which so many people at all levels have brought to my attention.
“Government policies have inflicted great misery unnecessarily, especially on the working poor, on single mothers struggling against mighty odds, on people with disabilities who are already marginalised, and on millions of children who are locked into a cycle of poverty from which many will have great difficulty escaping.”
Anna Feuchtwang, chair of End Child Poverty and chief executive of the National Children’s Bureau, accused policymakers and wealthy parts of society of “effectively shutting the door on poor people”.
She said poor people were barred from “the services for children, young people and families that can provide a helping hand when they need it”.
She added: “It is simply not credible for the government to continue its denial of the growing levels of child poverty in the UK.
“The freeze in children’s benefits, the introduction of the two-child limit, and problems with the introduction of Universal Credit have all contributed to a bleak outlook for millions of children in which they will struggle to enjoy the rights enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child.”
A government spokesperson said: “We completely disagree with this analysis.
"With this government’s changes, household incomes have never been higher, income inequality has fallen, the number of children living in workless households is at a record low and there are now one million fewer people living in absolute poverty compared with 2010.
“Universal Credit is supporting people into work faster, but we are listening to feedback and have made numerous improvements to the system including ensuring 2.4 million households will be up to £630 better off a year as a result of raising the work allowance.
“We are absolutely committed to helping people improve their lives while providing the right support for those who need it.”
She also highlighted a £2 million programme to help provide thousands of children with free activities and healthy meals over the summer holiday, and the £26 million National Schools Breakfast Programme.
She added that the government supports the most disadvantaged children through free school meals, and the £2.4 billion Pupil Premium.
