<p>Relative poverty has risen across the whole population for the first time since Labour came to power, with child poverty also rising for the first time in six years, according to official statistics released today on the distribution of income in 2005/06. </p><p>With the exception of a further fall in pensioner poverty, most measures of income poverty and inequality increased in 2005/06. The rise in poverty will be of particular concern to the Government given the impact of the tight spending squeeze announced in last week's Budget on its ability to pay more generous benefit and tax credit payments.</p>
Authors
![Mike Brewer](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2022-07/Mike%20Brewer.jpg?itok=3JdYlHV1)
Mike Brewer
![Alissa Goodman](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2022-07/Alissa_Goodman.jpg?itok=Aj-FsQNw)
Research Fellow University College London
Alissa is an IFS Research Fellow and a Professor of Economics and Director of the Centre for Longitudinal Studies at the UCL Institute of Education.
![Luke Sibieta](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2022-07/Luke%20Sibieta%20%20s.jpg?itok=i5W6DH-B)
Research Fellow
Luke is a Research Fellow at the IFS and his general research interests include education policy, political economy and poverty and inequality.
![Person graphic](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2022-06/IFS-person-graphic.png?itok=hWCtTSrz)
Alastair Muriel
Press Release details
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- IFS
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