Facts on Inequality in the UK

We all deserve a better debate on poverty

Politicians from all sides quote seemingly contradictory poverty figures on a regular basis. This is bad for anyone who wants to understand the story of poverty in the UK.

Boris Johnson incorrect to say Keir Starmer is “completely wrong” about past trends in child poverty

Mr Starmer said 600,000 more children are in poverty than in 2012, which is correct according to government data on children in low income households.

Sir Iain Duncan Smith is wrong to say that only 15% of people ever move above low pay

There are different ways to measure the number of people who exceed low-pay or low-skill work, but it is more than 15% during the course of a working life.

Sajid Javid said on 5 December that homelessness has halved under the Conservatives since 2008—is this true?

This article is part of our Ask Full Fact series on the 2019 general election, answering your questions about the election, from claims the main parties are making to what happens on polling day.

No single figure about child poverty tells the whole story

Based on one of the most comprehensive measures, child poverty fell between 2010 and 2015, but has been rising since. The latest figures suggest it’s now back to roughly what it was in 2010.

Angela Rayner uses exaggerated figure for number of WASPI women in poverty

Ms Rayner said millions of women have fallen into poverty because of changes to the pension age. We don’t know the number for certain but it is certainly not millions.

Claim about UK wealth and poverty is flawed

The measure of wealth used by Mr Corbyn is not the most relevant to discussions of poverty and wealth redistribution.

Poverty in the UK: a guide to the facts and figures

How many people are in poverty in the UK, and how has this been changing in recent years?

Labour's record on inequality and social mobility: 1997 to 2010

In an online video on Labour's inequality record Tony Blair lists statistics on topics from tax and spending, to education, the NHS and poverty. The figures are pretty much all broadly correct, but also don't directly relate to overall income inequality.

Period poverty: how widespread is it?

Representative surveys have found the number is around one in ten young women and girls across the whole UK.