Child poverty: Children living in ‘Dickensian’ conditions

Some children are living in “Dickensian” levels of poverty, according to a new report from England’s children’s commissioner.

Dame Rachel de Souza said children have described living in homes with rats, seeing bacon as a luxury food and not having a place to wash.

She insisted the government should scrap the two-child benefit cap, which prevents most families from claiming means-tested benefits for any third or additional children born after April 2017.

A spokesperson for the government said it was “determined to bring down child poverty” and had announced a £1bn package to improve crisis support, including funding to ensure the poorest children do not go hungry outside term time.

The commissioner’s report, which was commissioned by the government and is based on the experiences of 128…