The Unicef Report is a damning indictment of??Labour’s approach to "child poverty". Whilst?? it would not be fair to blame just the government for some of the drugs, drink and relationship problems the Report identifies, the government is to blame for the poor education, lack of ambition, and perverse benefit and tax credit system that keeps the bottom 20%?? of the income scale in poverty.

Nor has the government’s wish to drive through longer drinking hours and more gambling sent out good signals about what the UK needs to have a more successful society, whilst flirtation with relaxing the rules on cannabis sent muddled messages about drugs.

??Today I am launching a pamphlet by the NTB Group of MPs which I chair, written by Michael Fallon, on Social Mobility. We make a number of recommendations on measures the government could take to give more people in the bottom fifth of the income scale the chance of a job, a university place and a home they own. Under Labour there is much less chance for young people to aspire to a life better than their parent or parents have enjoyed. There is a poverty of ambition, and a welter of social problems connected to the world of living on benefits in a social rented house with no expectation of a job.

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