Daily roundup 15 February: 'Inadequate' incomes, alcoholic parents, and select committee 'hypocrisy'

Nearly half of children in Britain are living in families with "inadequate" income, research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has found. The BBC reports that the social research charity found that in 2014/15, 19 million people were living on less than the minimum income standard, affecting around six million children, 45 per cent of all children in Britain.


The failure to help children of hard-drinking parents is putting lives in danger, MPs will say today. The Mirror reports that a cross-party group of MPs will launch a manifesto to help the 2.6 million children being brought up by alcoholic parents. It will call for a national strategy for children of alcoholics, action to curtail the promotion of booze, better funding and more education about the dangers of heavy drinking.


The chairman of the education select committee has been accused of hypocrisy for opposing the expansion of grammar schools despite sending his children to them. The Sun reports that during a talkRadio show Tory MP Neil Carmichael admitted sending his three children to selective schools in Gloucestershire because it was "convenient".


Leaders of charities and groups serving children have written to Home Secretary Amber Rudd, Home Secretary, to raise concerns about the suspension of the "Dubs scheme" for child refugees. One of the organisations involved, Children England, said the letter asks the government to "honour its democratic decision and respect the spirit and the letter of that promise".


A TV campaign that shows Santa forgetting Christmas after developing dementia has been cleared by the ad watchdog following complaints it was offensive and could distress children. The Guardian reports that the festive campaign, called Santa Forgot, was run by the charity Alzheimer's Research UK to raise awareness of dementia and help boost donations.