Taking children out of poverty

All agree that the economic recovery will be a long and painful one. All accept the need for substantial public spending cuts. The disagreement is over the timing of their implementation.

Yet the political pointscoring, particularly between Labour and the Conservatives, again masks the reluctance of both to reveal full details about their respective blueprints.

Their proposals, thus far, will only make a small dent in the budget deficit. At least York-born Vince Cable, the Liberal Democrats economics spokesman, acknowledged this shortcoming when he unveiled his party's own strategy yesterday.

The culture of negative campaigning, which has become endemic in Britain, continues to overlook two key social trends that have serious ramifications for the whole country.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission's call for "fundamental changes" to employment policies to open up more work opportunities for older people is a direct result of Gordon Brown's disastrous pensions policies. They are already impacting upon the quality of life enjoyed by retired people, and the numbers affected will continue to grow.

At the other end of the age spectrum is Save The Children's assertion that the fight against child poverty has "slid into reverse" with more than 1.7 million youngsters missing out on adequate food and clothing.

With the political debate focussed on Broken Britain and the role of parents, a debate which has intensified following the sentencing of the brothers who tortured and abused two young boys in Edlington, Doncaster, this report again shows how Labour's record investment continues to fail some of the most vulnerable members

of society.

Abolishing child poverty remains a noble ambition. However, this report shows the difficulty of turning the rhetoric from an election campaign into reality. As the main parties woo potential voters, they all need to be challenged over what they will do to give all children the best possible start to life.

It's an issue that is not going to disappear into the ether – irrespective of the economic prognosis being delivered today and the political slanging match which will inevitably follow.