Children in England living in 'Dickensian' levels of poverty, commissioner warns

England's children's commissioner warns of "Dickensian" levels of poverty among children, citing inadequate housing, food scarcity, and lack of basic necessities like clean clothes. The report calls for the government to remove the two-child benefit cap to lift 500,000 children out of poverty, highlighting the urgency to address systemic issues driving child poverty. The Institute for Fiscal Studies estimates that eliminating the cap would cost £3.4bn annually but benefit 1.6 million children living in poverty. The government has announced a £1bn package to improve crisis support but faces pressure to take more decisive action to address child poverty.