‘These figures are truly dreadful. The Government was repeatedly warned of the likely consequences of reducing support for the poorest people in the country and now we can see the results. Austerity has bitten hard, with an additional 200,000 children living below the poverty line. More children face missing out on hot meals, sleeping in cold bedrooms and being bullied at school. In the longer term, too many young people risk being denied a fair start and left behind, with life-changing consequences.

‘The Government promotes getting families back to work as the best way of tackling child poverty, but the reality is that two thirds of children in poverty now live in working families. The four-year freeze to tax credits already in the pipeline will only make things worse. It is crucial that the Government recognises the importance of income to make sure that when parents move into work they move out of poverty.

‘The situation is made even more stark by the economic uncertainty that the country faces after last Thursday’s referendum result. Children did not have a role in that decision and their interests must be safeguarded first and foremost when deciding what happens next.

‘The publication of these figures must prompt urgent action to protect the well-being of children. Whoever ends up leading the Government must rule out further welfare cuts in another emergency budget that would punish the poorest families and inevitably drag more children into poverty.’

Matthew Reed, Chief Executive of The Children’s Society, said:

Now the Prime Minister has announced her intention to seek to form a new minority administration we want to ensure the well-being of children is high on the agenda of new ministers and MPs of all political persuasions. Children’s needs must be prioritised not compromised in discussions aimed at supporting the new Government.

The crucial Brexit talks which will start soon should include a commitment to continue to retain or replace provision for children in disadvantaged communities which is currently funded through the European Social Fund.

EU children living in the UK also need assurance that decisions about where they can live will be based on their best interests, not just their parents’ employment history.

In order to maintain and improve safeguarding for children on and offline, the Government must ensure that the UK has continued membership of Europol and Eurojust, or that an agreement is in place for cooperation with these bodies and with the EU Commission.

Child poverty

At home, urgent action is needed to tackle the shocking rise in child poverty, which is on course to affect five million children by 2020. It will be vital that ministers follow through on the welcome Conservative manifesto commitment to introduce a ‘Breathing Space’ scheme for families in problem debt following our campaigning. This will give them the time they need to agree an affordable repayment plan without the worry of enforcement action or additional charges.

However, if the Government wants to really address child poverty it also needs a fundamental re-think of policies which affect parents’ ability to provide for their children – like the current four year benefits freeze, and the two-child limit for Tax Credits and Universal Credit.

We are also deeply concerned that many children in poverty will be affected by the plans to withdraw free school lunches for all infant children and we would urge the Government to commit to free lunches for all primary and secondary school children whose families receive Universal Credit.

Children in poverty are among those most likely to suffer from mental health disorders and that is why we want to see a commitment to fund counselling in all schools to ensure pupils get the vital early support needed to help address issues before they escalate.

Over the next few weeks there will be tough policy negotiations both here and in Brussels – but we owe it to our children to ensure their welfare is a top priority.