We are facing an unprecedented cost of living crisis, with inflation only just starting to come down from a 14-year high of 11.1% in 2022. But its impacts are felt most acutely by the poorest households who spend a higher proportion of their income on basic goods.

Even before the triple whammy of the pandemic, Brexit and rising inflation, the UK faced a serious poverty and inequality problem. It is the ninth most unequal of 38 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries in terms of income. In Wales, where I work, 31% of children now live in relative income poverty, and the challenges of tackling inequality are getting worse as prices outstrip wages and more and more people are pushed into insecure work or out of work altogether, often due to ill health or caring responsibilities.