Last month marked the 10th anniversary of Tony Blair's historic promise to end child poverty within a generation - one of the most radical and important pledges yet made by any government. Child poverty is a scourge on our nation and I am proud that this Labour government has made it a top priority. We can be certain it would not have happened under a Tory government. Indeed, in the 1980s I witnessed the number of children living in poverty soar to levels that were a disgrace in one of the richest countries in the world. During the Thatcher and Major years, the child poverty rate doubled, reaching a staggering 33% in 1992.
I have seen at first hand the impact on a child's life chances of growing up in poverty. Life expectancy is much lower for those from deprived areas: male life expectancy in Calton, Glasgow, is 28 years less than in Lenzie, a stone's throw away. The link between child poverty and low educational achievement is beyond doubt. Children from poor backgrounds are around six times more likely to leave school without qualifications. I once asked why I was the first Kinnock in a thousand generations to get to university. It was not because my predecessors had no talent, drive or commitment. It was because there were no platforms on which they could stand, no opportunities to progress.
The postwar reforms allowed me to break the cycle that had kept my forebears back. Education reform was just one in a long list of radical, progressive social policies delivered by Labour governments. The introduction of the NHS by Nye Bevan, who I am proud to say hailed from my home town of Tredegar, was a groundbreaking social advance. It is worth remembering that the radical idea of free healthcare for all was introduced at a time of great economic difficulty. The same goes for Beveridge's welfare state. The universal right to security from the five evils of want, disease, ignorance, squalor and idleness was introduced in the postwar years characterised by slump and privation.
There are those who believe that this Labour government could have done more to deliver equality and social justice. It is always possible to do more, but this government has achieved a huge amount: think of the minimum wage and new rights for working parents.Most radical of all is the pledge to halve child poverty by 2010 and eradicate it by 2020. After the second world war, Clement Attlee's administration shaped the agenda for a generation. This government has done the same. About 600,000 children have been lifted out of poverty, and commitments made in last year's budget are expected to reduce the number by a further 500,000.
But without further investment, as ministers have acknowledged, the 2010 target will be missed, possibly by as many as 700,000 children. This week's budget is the opportunity for the government to build on what it has achieved with one last push to meet the 2010 target, keeping us on track to make history by ending child poverty in a generation.
There is no reason for this ambition to fall victim to the recession. The End Child Poverty coalition states that at least £3bn is needed in tax credits and benefits to meet the 2010 target. Aside from the millions of children this will help, this form of investment is exactly what is required to kick-start the flagging economy. Low-income households spend any extra income in their local communities on much-needed goods and services - providing one of the best kinds of targeted fiscal stimulus on offer.
There is no bigger priority for any Labour government than to help the poorest. In these difficult times, this mission is more important than ever and I urge the government to continue the fight against child poverty with the same vigour our predecessors showed in 1945.
"¢ Neil Kinnock was leader of the Labour party, 1983-1992
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