BIG ISSUE magazine founder Lord John Bird is taking action in Parliament aimed at persuading the government to do more to fight rising levels of poverty.

Lord Bird has tabled an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, and is warning that Labour will not hold back the rise of Reform UK at the next general election unless it acts now.

He has proposed a new clause to the Bill, which is currently being prepared for scrutiny at committee stage in the House of Lords, which would place a new duty on the government to set targets for the reduction of child poverty.

The move comes as a survey of more than 2,000 adults for the Big Issue found that seven out of 10 believed Labour should be doing more in their approach to poverty.

Public disapproval on the issue has risen by 18 per cent in the past six months, said the Big Issue.

The magazine is campaigning for a wider Poverty Zero law — the establishment of statutory poverty reduction targets, similar to net zero.

The government said it is reforming the welfare system to get more people into jobs.