Like all good press officers, I listen to the Today programme every morning. This morning I heard two things I had heard already. The first was an interview with the RSPB – how often are they on the Today programme? I’m sure it’s at least once a week. Who knew there was so much to say about birds? They must have a fantastic press office.

 The second was that the inequality gap is now the widest it has been since the end of the second world war. The JRF published research on this more than two years ago; we found that inequality was at a 40 year high – in fact I’m fairly sure today’s headline on the BBC website is exactly the same as it was back in July 2007.

 Some ask why the inequality gap is important at all. I guess that it comes down to what kind of society we want to live in – one where everyone has the same opportunities at birth, or one where the accident of who you are born to means your future is pretty much mapped out for you . It’s confusing though, as what is supposed to happen to people at the top? I can’t see doctors’ and lawyers’ children suddenly all taking blue collar jobs.

 With an election coming up, all the parties are focusing on what they will do about the inequality gap. There is a general feeling that people should be able to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, Duncan Banatyne’s autobiography is called “Anyone can do it”. But it’s not true. As John Hills points out today, the ladder is harder to climb as the gaps between the rungs get wider.

 So should we be trying to stop the rich getting richer or should we be trying to help more people out of poverty? The answer is probably a bit of both, but JRF is particularly interested in understanding why poor people are poor, and what can be done about that.

 We know that inequality is not inevitable; plenty of countries have a much smaller inequality gap. However, narrowing the gap is a long process and requires commitment not just from governments, but from all of us.

 PS – if anyone from the RSPB is reading, I’m just jealous!

The report calculates the income needed to afford a minimum socially acceptable standard of living in Britain. Items that make up a large part of a minimum budget, such as food, have risen sharply in price. Some items that have got cheaper, such as paying a mortgage and running a car, are not part of a minimum budget.

This year’s report reveals that:

• A single adult with no children now needs to earn at least £13,900 a year before tax to reach the minimum standard. This is a £500 rise from 2008; nearly half of this extra income is needed for the rising cost of food.
• About one in four people are living below the minimum income standard for Britain, and this is increasing as unemployment rises.
• The minimum cost of living has risen by 5 percent, contrasting with official inflation figures of 2.5 (CPI) and -1 (RPI) percent. A low-paid worker whose earnings were linked to the retail prices index could be 6 percent worse off this year, relative to the minimum cost of living.
• Job loss can leave you with less than half the income that you actually need to live according to the minimum income standard for Britain.
• The original focus groups believed that a car was not an essential item for everyone in Britain, and so it is not part of a minimum acceptable budget. However, while the cost of running a car has gone down this year, the cost of public transport has gone up.

Living in Britain on a low income is becoming harder and many people can no longer fully participate in society with their current incomes. To find out if your income meets the minimum standard use our online calculator.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Oxfam GB.