Labour take a leaf out of the Farage book - Bruce Whitehead

US ambassador praises a charity set up by Gordon Brown (Victoria Jones/PA)

Last week the Child Poverty Action Group reported almost a third of UK children, 31 per cent, live in poverty. There's a map showing the worst affected neighbourhoods: 17 per cent of children in Leith were in poverty in 2024, compared with 5 per cent in Corstorphine/ Murrayfield, and 22 per cent across the UK.

The government defines poverty as incomes under 60 per cent of the average - £33,800 - so you're in poverty if your household gets less than £20,280 a year, or £390 a week.

Last week Gordon Brown surprisingly praised the government for further delaying a decision to lift the two-child benefit limit. It beggars belief that Brown could support continuing it, whatever the excuse.

Bruce Whitehead

This harsh policy, dreamed up by that kindly fellow, George Osborne to fund tax cuts for rich people, was continued by Labour, after also removing winter fuel payments to some pensioners south of the Border.

The language of Labour politicians is curious. Big Broon writes about "changing" the two-child rule - not scrapping it. And Keir Starmer's Merseyside speech mentioned "driving down" child poverty - not ending it. (They think no-one notices when they use weird words.) So it could become a three-child rule; try explaining that to your youngest quadruplet...

The truth is that Gordon Brown had ten years as chancellor, and three as prime minister, to eradicate poverty; instead Labour left office with 17 per cent of children still in poverty.

He writes of polling he commissioned to confirm that, yes, dogs do bark, fish do swim and 75 per cent think poverty is morally wrong!

Brown deserves credit for reducing it, for winter fuel payments and funding "Sure Start" to help families. But he inherited a buoyant economy and had ample time to banish poverty entirely, let alone child poverty.

It's time Keir's party - Keir Hardie's that is - founded to help labour and workers, actually did so.

Starmer's speech showed he'd finally got the message, but he's wasted a year trying to out-Tory the Tories; let's hope he doesn't now try to out-Farage the Faragistas.

Bruce Whitehead, Journalist and former Labour council candidate​​