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The number of children living in poverty across the UK has reached a new record high, according to figures from the Department for Work and Pensions.Some 4.45m children were estimated to be in households in relative low income, after housing costs, in the year to March 2024.This is up from the previous record of 4.33m in the 12 months to March 2023. It is the highest figure since comparable records for the UK began in 2002-2003.A household is considered to be in relative poverty if it is below 60 per cent of the median income after housing costs.Anti-poverty campaigner Alison Garnham said the data was a “stark warning” that government action is needed, adding that record high numbers of children in poverty “isn’t the change people voted for”.115,000 more children are living in poverty compared to 2023, according to government figures More

Watch live as Rachel Reeves holds a press conference this afternoon (26 March) following backlash to her spring statement.Delivering her spring statement to the House of Commons on Wednesday, the chancellor blamed “increased global uncertainty” as the Office for Budget Responsibility halved its forecast for growth in gross domestic product in 2025 from 2 per cent to just 1 per cent.Ms Reeves also confirmed a further squeeze on the welfare budget, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month, with the package now expected to save £4.8 billion rather than the more than £5 billion in 2029/30 hoped for by ministers.In a damning revelation, the government’s own impact assessment said after the announcement that an estimated quarter of a million people, including 50,000 children, would be pushed into relative poverty by the end of the decade as a result of welfare reforms.The assessment also estimated 3.2m families would lose on average £1,720 per year compared to inflation in 2029 and 2030. More

Rachel Reeves has confirmed exactly how benefits will be changing for millions of claimants as she unveiled her spring statement on Wednesday.A massive £6.4bn will be cut from the health and disability benefits bill by 2029/30, analysis by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) shows. This will be offset by an uplift to the standard rate of Universal Credit (UC), which will bring the total cuts down to £4.8bn.The government’s own impact assessment estimates 3.2m families will be affected by the cuts, losing on average £1,720 per year compared to inflation in 2029 and 2030. That is set to plunge 250,000 people, including 50,000 children, into poverty by the end of the decade.Confirming the cuts, Ms Reeves said: “The Labour Party is the party of work. We believe that if you can work, you should work. But if you can’t work, you should be properly supported.“This government inherited a broken system,” she said, adding: “If we do nothing, we are writing off an entire generation. That cannot be right, and we will not stand for it. It is a waste of their potential and it is a waste of their futures.”The chancellor has revealed how benefits will be changing for millions of claimants More

Schoolchildren are set to be given lessons in how to counter misogyny and toxic masculinity amid the rise of influencers such as Andrew Tate.The Independent understands that health and sex education (RHSE) guidance for schools will be updated at the start the next academic year to add sections on supporting healthy relationships and to help schools target harmful narratives that are spread on social media.The guidance, which is still being updated, will also teach children at primary and secondary school how to navigate difficult emotions and have a focus tackling sexist content spread online.It comes as Sir Keir Starmer has expressed admiration for Stephen Graham’s Netflix series Adolescence about a teenage boy who is arrested for murdering a girl after being influenced by incel propaganda online.As well as watching it with his two teenagers at home, he has supported a campaign for it to be shown in schools. Education secretary Bridget Phillipson has been under pressure to overturn the draft RHSE guidance, put forward when the Conservatives were in power, which included plans to ban sex education for children under the age of nine, as well as discussion of gender identity.The Independent has spoken to school leaders about the problems caused by harmful attitudes held by young men, with one headteacher warning parents not to brush their concerns about the growing influence of toxic masculinity under the carpet and to speak to people about it.Michael Sullivan, head teacher of Forest Hill School for boys in Lewisham, had a message for parents who might be concerned about their sons: “Speak to your son, speak to his school, and don’t try and brush it under the carpet.Forest Hill School work with Beyond Equality to instil positive masculinity into the students of the all boys school More

A company running dozens of asylum hotels will have its contract ended by the Home Office and be replaced in part by the firm behind the beleaguered Bibby Stockholm barge. Stay Belvedere Hotels (SBHL) is responsible for running 51 hotels for asylum seekers waiting on their decisions in England and Wales.The company also runs Napier Barracks in Folkestone, Kent, which is due to close and be returned to the Ministry of Defence in September. The Home Office said on Tuesday that it would remove SBHL from government operations following an examination of its contract, which found “concerns about its performance and behaviour as a government supplier”. The contract, which was awarded in 2019, will end at the earliest opportunity in September 2026. The management of the hotels will be taken over by accommodation providers Mears, Serco and Corporate Travel Management (CTM). CTM is an Australian travel firm that was previously awarded a contract to provide asylum ships and other accommodation, which covered the Bibby Stockholm barge. Labour decided in July last year to close down the Bibby Stockholm and announced it would not renew its contract beyond January 2025 in a push to make savings. A view of Napier Barracks in Folkestone, Kent, which was managed by Stay Belvedere Hotels More

The government is ending a contract worth billions of pounds a year with one of the largest providers of accommodation for asylum seekers.Stay Belvedere Hotels (SBHL) houses people waiting for asylum decisions in 51 hotels in England and Wales, as well as the Napier Barracks in Folkestone, Kent, which is due to close and be returned to the Ministry of Defence in September.The Home Office confirmed the cancellation of the contract, which is worth around £2billion per year, after a review raised concerns about the company’s performance and behaviour.In a statement issued on Tuesday, it said the contract, which was awarded in 2019, will end at the earliest opportunity in September 2026 after the review of all contracts to provide asylum accommodation.Minister for border security and asylum Angela Eagle said: “Since July, we have improved contract management and added more oversight of our suppliers of asylum accommodation.Stay Belvedere Hotels (SBHL) houses people waiting for asylum decisions in the Napier Barracks in Folkestone, Kent, which is due to close and be returned to the Ministry of Defence in September More

Money expert Martin Lewis has shared his initial analysis of Labour’s newly announced changes to the welfare system, calling them “fraught with challenges”.The reforms were announced by work and pensions secretary on Tuesday, with the measures amounting to £5 billion in cuts to welfare. This was mostly concentrated on scaling back health and disability-related benefits as part of Labour’s ‘Pathways to Work’ Green Paper.Writing on social media platform X in a rare intervention, Mr Lewis said: “PIP (Personal Independence Payment) is often an individual’s lifeline, the difference between an unsustainable life and a manageable one. The govt says those in ‘genuine need’ will be protected, yet that all boils down to matter of definition.”The changes to PIP are understood to form the bulk of the government’s £5 billion in cuts, although this won’t be clarified until Labour releases more costing details next week. Ms Kendall confirmed the eligibility for the the benefit – which is designed to help with costs incurred by health issues – will be effectively tightened, resulting in fewer claimants being found eligible.The Money Saving Expert founder has in the past expressed a reluctance to weigh in on politics, instead preferring to focus on financial advice.Martin Lewis appeared before the Treasury Committee to give evidence on Lifetime Isas in February More

Millions of benefit recipients are set to see their incomes cut or their entitlements taken away following Labour’s decision to slash £5 billion from the welfare spending bill.A slate of reforms were announced by Liz Kendall on Tuesday, as expected focusing on health and disability-related benefits. The two most commonly claimed – the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and the health element of Universal Credit – are both set to see major changes.The work and pensions secretary said: “There’s clear evidence that shows good work is good for health and plays a vital role in recovery. Too many disabled people and people with health conditions want to work but are denied the right support to do so.“Tackling this is central to our commitment to spread opportunity and improve the health of the nation.”Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said the current social security system was ‘failing the very people it is supposed to help’ (James Manning/PA) More