The minority Conservative government is patting itself on the back because more children are now living in working households – but child poverty in such households is now at a record high.

The Tories’ main strategy for dealing with child poverty has been to get more parents into work, and it is clear that this is succeeding (except in Northern Ireland, where ONS figures show the proportion unchanged over the last five years, at 17.6 per cent).

But it has been proved an utterly pointless effort: The real value of wages has fallen by more than 10 per cent in the last decade, meaning more working households are in poverty than ever before.

Around 67 per cent of the UK’s poor children are now in working families – up from 43 per cent in 1996-7 and 52 per cent in 2007. That’s an increase of one-third in the last 10 years.

The simple fact is that the quality of the jobs available under a Conservative government is far too low to affect levels of poverty. Child poverty as a whole is at its highest level since 2010.

And what do the Tories say?

They say: “Children living in workless families are significantly more disadvantaged and achieve poorer educational outcomes than other children, including those living in lower-income working families.”

Oh, so being at work and in poverty is better than being out of work and in poverty, is it? For whom? The working family or the employer who is creaming off all the profit?

They say: “The proportion of people living in relative poverty is near its lowest level since the 1980s.”

What about the proportion in absolute poverty?

They say: “There’s more still to do and we will build further on this progress with the roll-out of Universal Credit, ensuring it always pays to be in work.”

But Universal Credit actually pushes people further into poverty, with (for example) 12-week delays before people receive their first payment.

There is evidence it forces victims of domestic violence to stay with their abuser.

And there are other problems – see the Citizens Advice report for full details:

But the minority Tory government thinks it is wonderful.

Do you think it’s wonderful that working families are now increasingly likely to be as deeply in poverty as the unemployed?

Here are four ways to be sure you’re among the first to know what’s going on.

1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (in the left margin). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.

2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical

3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/

Join the Vox Political Facebook page.

4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com

And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!

If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!

Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:

Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.

The Livingstone Presumption is now available
in either print or eBook format here:

Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:

The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here: