John McDonnell MP, Labour’s Shadow Chancellor, responding to news that median income for the poorest fifth dropped by 4.3% over the last two years, said:

“It is shameful that incomes of the poorest in our society plummeted over the last two years after years of cuts to our public services.

“The Government has created nothing less than a social emergency, with widespread rough sleeping, the brutality of Universal Credit, and the crisis in social care blighting the lives of so many of our people.

“We urgently need action in next week’s Budget to improve the lives of the worst off, but with austerity baked in to the Conservatives’ plans that looks unlikely.”