There is a deafening silence of public indifference around the issue of child poverty, argued panellist and Fabian research fellow Louise Bamfield at the event.

Bamfield said she believed the challenge lay in a need for concrete policy examples and although gaps had been narrowed under a Labour government there had been no statement of a vision.

Labour PPC Rachel Reeves agreed: "Child Poverty is not in the public consciousness."

Speaking at the Fabian fringe at the Compass Conference, she said that voter support for a child poverty agenda was low in Leeds West, but Reeves campaign experience in local schools found young students very much in support.

Reeves, who is the candidate for Leeds West, recommended various measures to connect the issue to people's lives more clearly including, "subsidised school trips, extending rights around child care to ensure children are in a safe environment and flexible working hours so parents can improve their skills and pursue a job beyond the national minimum wage".

Department of Work and Pensions Minister James Purnell insisted the, 'the system is fair and the money isnt being misused".

Purnell suggested Denmark as an example of a successful welfare state with high standards of benefits through its policy of conditionality in distribution.

The UK should be a "demanding welfare state" said Purnell and suggests policy arguments for welfare reform as a way forward.

Days after the government released figures showing child poverty at 2.9 million, journalist and author John Harris argued credit debt, poor housing and the inability for individuals to move out of low skilled employment has resulted in poverty not only affecting the underclass, but the young middle class as well.

In response Harris identified three areas that were in particular need of reform, "housing, debt and good employment practice".

Combating poor housing conditions, punishing loan sharks who feed on the advent of increasing debt and "popularizing the idea of what a good employer is", were symbolic issues Labour could popularise to the electorate, he said.

Harris' recommended increasing the national minimum wage to £7.00.

Panelists went on to discuss how Labour could reaffirm its commitment to eradicating child poverty by 2020 with a progressive and popular policy agenda.  

*The panellists were John Harris, Rt Hon James Purnell, Secretary of State for Work & Pensions, Rachel Reeves, Labour's Parliamentary Candidate for Leeds West, Lousie Bamfield and Hannah Jameson of the Fabian Society.

 The event was kindly supported by