Longfield calls for new government poverty unit ahead of general election

Former Children’s Commissioner for England Anne Longfield has called for the next government to establish a poverty unit sitting within Downing Street as part of a 10-point plan to halve child poverty by 2029. The proposal comes from Longfield’s think-tank The Centre for Young Lives and urges the next government to aim to halve child poverty by 2029, primarily through a “No10 Poverty Unit” dedicated to tackling the issue. In 2022/23, the number of children living in poverty increased by 100,000 from 4.2 million in 2021/22 to 4.3 million children, according to Action for Children. Read more.