Business

Gordon Brown warns of child poverty crisis and proposes bold £9 billion plan to restore social mobility

Thursday, 6 November 2025 5:07AM UTC

Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has issued a stark warning about the UK's rising child poverty levels, calling for a comprehensive £9 billion campaign to address the crisis and its broader societal impacts, including reforms to benefits and taxation.

Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has issued a stark warning about the UK's escalating child poverty crisis, describing it as not only the largest cause of social division in the country but also the gravest threat to its long-term economic future. Speaking at a London event, Brown stressed that the failure to prepare young people for the workforce exacerbates this crisis, making it an urgent issue that demands comprehensive action. Recent statistics reveal that an estimated 4.45 million children in the UK live in households with relatively low income after housing costs, the highest figure since comparable records began in 2002/03.

Brown has proposed a detailed £9 billion plan to tackle child poverty. His three-point proposal submitted to the government's Child Poverty Taskforce includes introducing a tiered interest scheme on commercial bank funds held at the Bank of England to raise £3 billion, channelling another £3 billion to anti-poverty charities via reforms to Gift Aid and corporate philanthropy, and establishing a £1 billion UK Social Impact Fund aimed at generating sustainable social progress. Projections suggest that child poverty could reach 4.8 million by 2029, increasing by nearly 100,000 annually, heightening the urgency for decisive intervention.

In addition to financial strategies, Brown has called on the Labour Party to scrap the controversial two-child benefit cap—policies which he describes as contributing to what he terms a "cancer in our society." He advocates for a new coalition of compassion to confront and ultimately reverse the shameful rise in child poverty. This aligns with recommendations from the independent cross-party poverty strategy commission, which argues that abolishing the two-child benefit limit could reduce poverty by 4.2 million and deep poverty by 2.2 million, highlighting the scale of impact such reforms could have.

Brown's concerns go beyond child poverty, focusing on the broader societal implications of entrenched deprivation, particularly in major urban centres like London. He has pointed to how poverty diminishes the city’s standing by breeding inadequate education, poor housing, health problems, and crime. His policy proposals to tackle these issues include lifting four million low-income people out of income tax, cutting taxes for millions more, increasing investment by £2.5 billion in schools catering to children eligible for free school meals, and taxing excessive bank profits to fund the creation of 100,000 new jobs.

The former chancellor has framed the emerging child poverty levels as the worst seen in decades, a disturbing reversal of progress that many had hoped was consigned to history. The ongoing cost-of-living crisis continues to disproportionately impact low-income families, exacerbating the problem and underpinning Brown's urgent calls for comprehensive government action.

With the Government's child poverty strategy set for release this autumn, Brown's interventions underscore the pressing need for a robust, compassionate response. His advocacy for targeted economic reforms, combined with calls for policy shifts such as lifting the two-child benefit cap, reflect a multi-faceted approach to what he deems a national emergency that threatens both social cohesion and economic stability unless tackled decisively.

📌 Reference Map:

^[1] (Evening Standard) - Paragraph 1
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^[3] (Gordon and Sarah Brown Press Release) - Paragraph 2
^[4] (ITV News) - Paragraph 3
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^[7] (UK Reform) - Paragraph 5

Source: Noah Wire Services

More on this

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/gordon-brown-rachel-reeves-london-campaigners-institute-for-public-policy-research-b1256766.html - Please view link - unable to able to access data
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/gordon-brown-rachel-reeves-london-campaigners-institute-for-public-policy-research-b1256766.html - Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has described the UK's child poverty crisis as both the leading cause of social division and the most significant threat to the nation's long-term economic future. Speaking at an event in London, he is expected to state that the child poverty emergency is not only the biggest cause of social division but also the biggest threat to the country's economic future due to the failure to equip young people for future work. The most recent official statistics show that 4.45 million children are estimated to be in UK households with relative low income after housing costs, marking the highest number since comparable records began in 2002/03.
https://gordonandsarahbrown.com/press-release-former-pm-gordon-brown-submits-3-point-9-billion-plan-to-government-task-force-to-tackle-britains-child-poverty-emergency/ - Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has submitted a three-point, £9 billion plan to the government's Child Poverty Taskforce to address Britain's child poverty emergency. The plan includes raising £3 billion from a tiered interest scheme on commercial bank funds held at the Bank of England, directing £3 billion to third-sector anti-poverty charities through reforms to Gift Aid and corporate philanthropy, and creating a new £1 billion UK Social Impact Fund. Brown argues that these measures are necessary to tackle the rising levels of child poverty, which are projected to reach 4.8 million by 2029, with the number increasing by nearly 100,000 each year.
https://www.itv.com/news/2025-08-06/former-pm-gordon-brown-calls-on-labour-to-scrap-two-child-benefit-cap - Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called for the Labour Party to scrap the two-child benefit cap, describing rising child poverty in the UK as a 'cancer in our society'. In an exclusive interview with ITV News, Brown stated that under a Labour government, child poverty numbers should not continue to rise. He emphasized the need to address the issue, stating that it is a shameful epidemic and calling for a new coalition of compassion for children to tackle the problem.
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/gordon-brown-government-bridget-phillipson-stephen-timms-labour-b1245977.html - Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has described a new report on child poverty as evidence of the 'urgent need to act' on an issue affecting millions. His comments come ahead of the expected publication of the Government's child poverty strategy this autumn. The report, published by the independent cross-party poverty strategy commission, calls for measures including the scrapping of the controversial two-child benefit limit. The commission estimates that implementing these measures could reduce poverty by 4.2 million and deep poverty by 2.2 million.
https://www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/the-dispossessed-poverty-demeans-london-says-gordon-brown-6770419.html - Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has highlighted the issue of poverty in London, stating that it demeans the city. He emphasized the importance of addressing poverty to tackle underlying problems such as inadequate education, poor housing leading to health issues, and crime. Brown proposed measures including lifting four million people out of income tax, cutting taxes for millions more, investing £2.5 billion extra in schools targeted at those on free school meals, and taxing bank profits to create 100,000 jobs.
https://www.ukreform.org.uk/2025/06/brown-issued-stark-poverty-warning.html - Former Chancellor Gordon Brown has delivered a stark warning about the resurgence of poverty in the UK, stating that current levels of child poverty are the worst seen in '50 or 60 years'. His comments come as the nation grapples with a cost-of-living crisis that has disproportionately impacted low-income families. Brown expressed deep concern over the return of poverty he believed had been consigned to history, emphasizing the need for urgent action to address the crisis.

Noah Fact Check Pro

The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may warrant further investigation.

Freshness check

Score: 8

Notes: The narrative presents recent proposals by Gordon Brown to address child poverty, including a £9 billion plan and calls to abolish the two-child benefit cap. These initiatives have been reported in various outlets, such as the Evening Standard and ITV News, with the earliest known publication date being 6 August 2025. The narrative was published on 6 November 2025, indicating a freshness of approximately 3 months. While the content is relatively fresh, the repetition of similar information across multiple sources may suggest a lack of original reporting. Additionally, the narrative includes updated data but recycles older material, which may justify a higher freshness score but should still be flagged. ([gov.ie](https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-the-taoiseach/press-releases/reducing-child-poverty-remains-key-focus-of-government/?utm_source=openai))

Quotes check

Score: 7

Notes: The narrative includes direct quotes from Gordon Brown, such as his description of child poverty as a "cancer in our society." These quotes have been used in earlier reports, including those by the Evening Standard and ITV News, with the earliest known usage being 6 August 2025. The repetition of these quotes across multiple sources suggests potential reuse of content. However, no online matches were found for some of the more detailed proposals, indicating potential originality or exclusivity in those aspects.

Source reliability

Score: 9

Notes: The narrative originates from the Evening Standard, a reputable UK news outlet. The information is corroborated by other reputable sources, including ITV News and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. The inclusion of direct quotes from Gordon Brown, a former Prime Minister, further enhances the credibility of the report.

Plausability check

Score: 8

Notes: The claims made in the narrative align with recent reports on child poverty in the UK, including the Joseph Rowntree Foundation's call to remove the two-child limit to reduce child poverty. The narrative also includes specific figures, such as the £9 billion plan and projections of child poverty reaching 4.8 million by 2029, which are consistent with data from reputable sources. The language and tone are consistent with typical reporting on social issues in the UK.

Overall assessment

Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS

Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): HIGH

Summary: The narrative presents recent and plausible information on Gordon Brown's proposals to address child poverty, supported by reputable sources and consistent with current data. While some content may have been recycled from earlier reports, the overall credibility is high, and the narrative provides valuable insights into ongoing discussions on child poverty in the UK.

Child Poverty
Social Policy
UK Economy