Osborne challenged on poverty call
07.04.06

The Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) has welcomed the Shadow Chancellor George Osborne’s interest in poverty and social exclusion in his speech to the Conservative Party Spring Conference today.

But the charity has called on Mr Osborne to explain what his party would do to end child poverty in the UK. CPAG’s Chief Executive Kate Green said today:

“George Osborne is right to say that in a country as rich as ours millions still live in poverty, but the Conservatives must now say what they would do about it. Although the tide of soaring child poverty rates in the 1980s and early 1990s has been stemmed, the Government has not reduced it quickly enough and so we need to know what the Conservatives would do differently.

“Would the Conservatives scrap the target to end child poverty by 2020 or are they prepared to commit the resources that are needed to help more than 3 million children who live below the poverty line?

“People in poverty do not want the government to back off, but to help and support them more. The voluntary sector has an important role to play in tackling poverty, but it cannot substitute the safety net of the welfare state, a good education, affordable childcare and support into well-paid work.”

For further information please contact:
Alex Belardinelli
CPAG Press Officer
Tel. 020 7812 5216 or 07816 909302
abelardinelli@cpag.org.uk