‘Deeper and more damaging than at any point in the last 30 years.’ Peter Matejic of the JRF on poverty levels in the UK.

JRF: ‘Deep poverty’ highest for thirty years

‘Deeper and more damaging than at any point in the last 30 years.’ Peter Matejic of the JRF on poverty levels in the UK.

by Rebecca Hardy 6th February 2026

The number of people in the UK in ‘very deep poverty’ is at its highest in more than thirty years, a new report from the Quaker-founded Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) has revealed.