We must not allow a return to the bad old days.

https://www.standard.co.uk/help-a-hungry-child/like-victorian-london-child-food-poverty-sparks-comeback-of-rickets-a3722086.html

‘Like Victorian London’... child food poverty sparks comeback of rickets

This is Rickets. A condition that affects bone development in children. It causes the bones to become soft and weak, which can lead to bone deformities. The most common cause of rickets is a lack of vitamin D or calcium in a child's diet. Both are essential for children to develop strong and healthy bones. Sources of vitamin D are: ... food – vitamin D is also found in some foods, such as oily fish, eggs and fortified breakfast cereals. Rickets was virtually eradicated in the United Kingdom more than 50 years ago but has seen a resurgence over the past few years as living standards have fallen rapidly and child poverty has increased due to government cuts in welfare and austerity measures generally. Notwithstanding how the Coalition government and the subsequent conservative governments, have manipulated child poverty figures to camouflage the real picture, child poverty and its associated problems is scandal of national proportions.

At this time of year and as we move into 2018, we must work to remove the stain of poverty generally within our society and the scandalous increase in food bank usage within the United Kingdom where those reliant on these charities now are well in excess of 1 million people. In a complete abdication of responsibility, this government is presiding over a return to conditions in our society not seen since the bad old days of Victorian deprivation and squalor in our towns and cities. As is always the case, those in our society least able to defend themselves from the effects of increasing poverty and hardships, our children, the sick, the pensioners and the poor are the most vulnerable. We must take action now to reverse this growing threat and to ensure that we do not allow the conditions of the late 1800's to return to our country.