Government failing on child poverty - Stunell

9.22.33am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 9th Jul 2008

Andrew Stunell adds his name to the 'Keep the Promise' campaign

New figures show one in three British children are living in poverty with almost 20,000 in Stockport alone according to a report published last week by the End Child Poverty campaign.

Now Mr. Stunell, the Hazel Grove MP, has demanded that the Government does more to tackle the problem, signing up to End Child Poverty's "Keep the Promise" campaign, calling for extra government funding in the fight against child poverty. According to Mr Stunell children brought up below the poverty line often face health problems and a lack of opportunities later in life.

The national 'Keep the Promise' campaign is rapidly gathering support, asking the public to sign an online petition and campaign locally for a better deal for children. The charity has also organised the largest ever event to end child poverty, which will take place in London on the 4th of October.

Research shows that children from poor homes are more likely to leave school earlier and with fewer qualifications than those from better-off families. Less than one in ten children from the poorest fifth of the population study at university, compared to almost half of children from the wealthiest fifth. Children from poorer backgrounds also have a lower average birth weight, which is linked with infant death and chronic disease in later life.

Commenting Mr Stunell said:

"It is shameful that the UK is one of the world's richest countries, yet a third of our children live in poverty.

"One in seven children locally constituency are in families living on benefits. I signed up to the Keep the Promise campaign to ensure that those children are given the chance in life that they deserve.

Britain has one on the worst records on child poverty in Europe. I hope this campaign, with the support of the public, can make the difference children desperately need."

ENDS

Notes to editors:

1. End Child Poverty is a coalition of over 120 organisations working to eradicate child poverty in the UK. It is formed from children's and other charities, social justice groups, faith groups, trade unions and others concerned about the unacceptable levels of child poverty in the UK.

2. To support the End Child Poverty campaign by signing the petition, running a local campaign or attending the London event, visit www.endchildpoverty.org.uk/promise.

3. Key facts and statistics on child poverty and the Keep the Promise campaign are available from http://www.endchildpoverty.org.uk.

For more information, please contact Zoë Horwich at horwichz@parliament.uk or 020 7219 5223.