I know there has been a lot of discussion about child poverty over the last week. I want to assure everyone that addressing child poverty is a central cause for this Labour government. Four million children live in poverty, a situation that is simply unacceptable. The status quo is intolerable. These numbers must come down rapidly.

That is why this Labour Government has a mission to create and spread opportunity for every child and young person in this country. We are committed to an ambitious child poverty strategy, which has already begun its work through a new specialist Child Poverty Unit.

In our manifesto, we also outlined a series of concrete and significant actions to support children and families. These include establishing free breakfast clubs in every primary school, expanding government-funded childcare, reducing school uniform costs, placing Young Futures hubs in every community, implementing renters reform to provide families with security, and delivering our Child Health Action Plan.

People are rightly impatient to see progress, and so am I. However, we must be given the time to develop and implement this crucial strategy. Reducing child poverty requires not just changes in social security policy, but also in the labour market, housing, and many other important areas of government.

The previous Tory government has left our economy on its knees. Therefore, our new strategy for reducing child poverty must be built on growing our economy, improving living standards across the country, and ensuring economic stability, so that working people never again bear the brunt of a Tory government willing to play fast and loose with our public finances.

That is why I ask you to judge us not on the parliamentary games that occurred this week, but on whether we deliver rising living standards and growing opportunities for the most disadvantaged in society.

We will leave no stone unturned in our mission to improve children’s lives. As your MP and as a Minister in this government, I can assure you that this work has already begun.