The number of children living in poverty in the UK has jumped by 200,000 in a year, according to the latest official data.

There were 3.9 million children living in “relative poverty” in 2014-15, up from 3.7 million a year earlier, the figures from the Department for Work and Pensions show.

It was the first increase, when housing costs were included, since 2011-12. An individual is considered to be in relative poverty if their household income is less than 60% of median income.

Two-thirds of children in poverty are living in households where at least one adult is in work.

Sam Royston, who chairs of the End Child Poverty Coalition, said the figures were “simply unacceptable”.

He added: “We must not allow the EU negotiations to get in the way of action on UK poverty. The government promised to ‘make work pay’ but this is not happening for the 66% of children in poverty who are in working families.”

The number of people classed as living in “relative poverty” after housing costs increased to 13.5 million in 2014-15 from 13.2 million a year earlier.

Frances O’Grady, the general secretary of the TUC, said: “We can tell how strong the economy is, and how fair it is, from how well working families are doing. But since the Conservative-led government took office in 2010, there has not been any progress reducing working age poverty.

“Working families were unfairly made to pay the price of a financial crisis they did not cause. With the economy now facing trouble again from Brexit, working people should not be made to pay the price a second time.”

Work and pensions secretary Stephen Crabb said: “There is of course still more to do and that’s why our Life Chances Strategy will look at the root causes of poverty whether that’s worklessness, debt or addiction, family break down or educational attainment. It’s only by doing this that we can truly tackle poverty and ensure everyone succeeds in life.”



