Millions of children in UK going hungry amid economic crisis
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More than 14 million people in the UK, including 3.8 million children, are going hungry due to the cost-of-living crisis.
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A shopper's basket is seen in a supermarket in London on August 17, 2022 (AP)
More than 14 million people in the UK, including 3.8 million children (27%), are experiencing hunger as the country’s cost-of-living crisis deepens, according to s new analysis by the Trussell Trust. The figures represent a sharp increase compared with 2022 and highlight what campaigners describe as a national emergency in child poverty.
Rising costs, insufficient support
The report attributes the worsening situation to:
- Low household incomes;
- Insufficient benefit rates;
- Soaring rents;
- Escalating energy bills;
- Charities and anti-poverty groups argue these factors are leaving millions unable to afford basic necessities, including food.
Calls for urgent government action
Campaigners and politicians condemned the crisis as a “scandalous political failure” that should “shame the government to its core.”
They are pressing the government to scrap the two-child benefit cap and end the freeze on local housing allowance, arguing that this will provide immediate relief to struggling families.
Government response under fire
The UK government has acknowledged the severity of the issue and pledged to develop a new child poverty strategy. However, critics say existing measures fall far short of addressing the escalating hardship.
“The stakes are too high for half measures,” one campaigner warned. “Millions of children are being deprived of food — this crisis cannot wait.”
