SOME 14.4 million people were living in poverty in the UK last year, official figures revealed today, leading to the government being accused of deliberately choosing not to give them the help they need.

Those in poverty included 4.2 million children, up from 3.9 million the previous year, and 2.1 million pensioners, the Department for Work and Pensions statistics show.

There were also 1.5 million more people in poverty in working households than in 2010.