Analysis reveals that child poverty in working families rose to 2.9 million in 2018 – an increase of 38 per cent since the start of the decade.

In 2010, 1 in 5 (19 per cent) children in working households were growing up in poverty. In 2018 this had increased to 1 in 4 (24 per cent).

The TUC said more than 485,000 children in working households have been pushed below the breadline as a direct result of the government’s in-work benefit cuts.

Weak wage growth, the spread of insecure work and population growth are other key factors behind the rise in child poverty, the TUC said.

London has suffered the biggest increase in child poverty (+68 per cent) among working families followed by the West Midlands (+56 per cent) and East England (+56 per cent).

In 2016 the Conservatives abolished the Child Poverty Act and scrapped targets to reduce poverty.

Frances O’Grady, TUC General Secretary, said:  “No child in Britain should be growing up in poverty.

“But millions of parents are struggling to feed and clothe their kids. That is not right.

“The Conservatives’ cuts to in-work benefits have come at a terrible human cost. As too has their failure to tackle insecure work and get wages rising across the economy.

“We need a government that puts working families first, not wealthy donors and hedge funds.”

The TUC is calling on all political parties to:

• Raise the minimum wage to £10 an hour
• Stop and scrap Universal Credit
• Ban zero-hours contracts
• Give workers new rights to join unions and bargain for better pay and conditions across industries