Labour must take decisive action on child poverty or risk ceding ground to Reform UK, the co-founder of The Big Issue, Lord John Bird, has warned.
His remarks come as he prepares to introduce an amendment to the Schools Bill that would legally bind future governments to poverty reduction targets.
Lord Bird, a crossbench peer in the House of Lords, argued that Nigel Farage’s Reform UK is gaining momentum due to a failure of both major parties to present a long-term vision for tackling poverty. “They’ve lost their way.
This government, like those before it, has squandered public trust by prioritising short-term fixes over meaningful change,” he said.
Born in a Notting Hill slum and made homeless at just five years old, Lord Bird said the UK risks “sliding back into the deep, painful poverty of the post-war years.”
He blamed political inaction and short-sighted economic decisions for creating conditions where poverty is rising faster than at any other time in the 21st century.
On Monday, Bird will formally table his proposed amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which would place a statutory duty on ministers to set and meet child poverty reduction targets in England.
The move, he said, would compel all future governments to act meaningfully and consistently, rather than rely on rhetoric.
According to the latest figures, 4.5 million children were living in poverty in the UK in the year leading to April 2024 – an increase of 100,000 from the previous year.
While Labour’s manifesto promises an “ambitious strategy” to reduce child poverty, campaigners warn that real progress is impossible unless policies like the two-child benefit cap are scrapped.
Lord Bird said his amendment would “force the government to take long-term preventive action” and demonstrate to the public that child poverty is finally being taken seriously.
His proposal is backed by the National Children’s Bureau, whose chief executive, Anna Feuchtwang, said: “Legally binding targets would transform political promises into tangible change.”
Feuchtwang stressed the urgency of the issue: “Unless the government delivers on its commitments, we risk seeing child poverty continue to rise. Preventing it from becoming a political football requires long-term, measurable goals.”
Polling by YouGov for The Big Issue shows growing public concern. In April 2025, 72% of respondents said Labour should be doing more to tackle poverty, a sharp increase from 54% in September 2024.
The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, currently under committee review in the House of Lords, includes wide-ranging proposals aimed at improving child welfare and education.
Key measures include a national register for home-educated children, free breakfast clubs for all primary pupils, limits on branded uniforms, and tougher regulations for academies.
