LEIGH’S MP has put child poverty under the spotlight after questioning the Prime Minister about the issue in the House of Commons.

Jo Platt asked Theresa May about her plans to tackle child poverty with reference to a previous comment that had been made about the Government being on the side of the poorest in society.

Statistics show 24 per cent of children in Leigh live in poverty once housing costs are taken into account with this figure set to rise.

Jo Platt said “It is shocking that in 2018 nearly a quarter of Leigh’s young people are growing up in poverty.

“When children are going to school without breakfast or without the school supplies they need, when parents are having to work two or three jobs just to get food onto the kitchen table or heat their homes, it proves that this Government is not working for those it set out to.”

Figures from the IFS thinktank also shows 37 per cent of children are expected to live in poverty across the UK by 2022

A spokesperson for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said: “We want all children to have the very best chances in life.

“We know that the best route out of poverty is through employment, and since 2010 an extra three million people are now in work and 200,000 fewer children are living in absolute poverty.

“Our welfare reforms mean that people are moving into work faster and staying there longer than under the old system.

“We are determined to build on this encouraging progress and help more people improve their lives through work.”

The Government said the new Universal Credit system has a focus on helping families and it has doubled childcare since being in power.