Labor will not stop the rise of reform in the UK, if it cannot solve poverty, co-founder John Bird warned that he has amended the Schools Act, which would force the government to achieve legally binding child poverty goals.

Lord Bird sat among his companions who crossed, saying Nigel Farage's party "is just because the main party is lost."

"Like those who have come before, this government has lost the trust of its supporters through chaos, caring more about the immediate people than ensuring a lasting, better long-term future. In the future and in the case of raising them, their trust."

On Monday, Bird will amend the Child Well-being and Schools Act, which will impose statutory duties on the government to set goals to reduce child poverty in England.

Born in London's Notting Hill slum in 1946, Bird became homeless at the age of five, he said he was worried that the country would "return to the deep and painful poverty of my birth."

"The whimsical politicians limit the economic ability to develop to help workers create poverty faster than any other in the 21st century. Therefore, labor is both a moral and political necessity, and labor takes urgent, meaningful action."

The latest official figures show that the record 4.5 million children live in poverty in the UK as of April 2024, an increase of 100,000 from the previous year.

Labor promised “an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty” in its election manifesto, which is expected to be published in the coming months. But campaigners warn that child poverty could increase unless the government repeals policies such as the dual-child welfare cap.

Bird said the amendment “will mean that all future governments will be detained to reduce child poverty”.

"This will bring the government's footsteps to the 4.5 million children in this country to take long-term, real preventive measures and signal to the British public that they are finally taking poverty seriously," he said.

The move was supported by the National Children’s Agency, whose chief executive Anna Feuchtwang said, “The legal binding goal of reducing child poverty will help transform political speech into a practical change in people’s lives.”

“The government either fulfills its declaration commitments and is responsible for building a society in which all children can thrive or we risk the child poverty that continues to rise in the next four years,” she added. “Only by achieving long-term measurable goals, we can prevent poverty from becoming political football.”

YouGov's poll on this big issue found that 72% of the British people believe that Labor should do more to address poverty in the UK, a figure that has increased by 18% in just six months.

In September 2024, 54% of the British believed that the government's approach to the poor was not enough.

The school bill reviewed during the House of Lords committee stage includes a series of new laws aimed at improving child protection and welfare, and improves education.

Broad recommendations include a children’s register that is not in school, a free breakfast club for all primary schools, legal restrictions on branded uniform items, and stricter rules for colleges and schools.