Gordon Brown, the former UK Prime Minister, has condemned the ongoing austerity measures affecting children in the UK, highlighting the rise in poverty among British youth born after 2010. In an opinion piece published on May 14, 2024, Brown outlined how government policies since 2010 have worsened inequality and reduced support for children, proposing a £3 billion funding plan to address child poverty.
Former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown has criticized the ongoing austerity measures affecting children, highlighting the increasing poverty among British youth born after 2010. In an opinion piece published on May 14, 2024, in The Guardian, Brown outlined how government actions over the past decade have exacerbated inequality and reduced support for children. He detailed multiple government policy changes since 2010 that have weakened the financial safety net for families, such as the regular freezes in child benefits, the end of educational maintenance allowances, and the four-year freeze in working-age benefits starting in 2016. Brown argued that children have become the major victims of austerity, suffering lower growth rates and poorer health outcomes compared to their European counterparts. He also presented a plan calling for £3 billion in funding to address child poverty and proposed various methods to generate these funds, including requiring banks to deposit money interest-free at the Bank of England. Brown emphasized the need for immediate action to prevent a future without hope for this generation.