Remembering Frank Field, director of CPAG from 1969 to 1979

Frank Field, a steadfast, highly successful and diligent campaigner against child poverty, has died aged 81.

After a stint as a lecturer, Frank was appointed director of CPAG in 1969. When Frank became director of CPAG, it was still in its infancy. Under Frank it grew into one of the most prominent and effective pressure groups in Britain, which educated and influenced many social organisations and people across the political spectrum. Yet it operated from a couple of run‐down attic rooms above New Horizons, then run by Jon Snow.

With a committee chaired by Peter Townsend, a distinguished Treasurer, Garry Runciman, and a dedicated deputy, Ruth Lister, CPAG’s prominence in the press and politics steadily increased. Mainly this was due to Frank’s personality and hard work. Above all, he cared about child poverty and its effects and could be seen to care in a way that challenged the consciences of many. He could be charming and he could make people laugh, often at themselves. And he had a real sense of history. He achieved a lot by appearing in many respects above politics.

Frank kept CPAG’s focus on children’s benefits, which remain a key priority today. It is largely down to Frank that we have child benefit – a truly towering achievement. In 1976, Frank leaked papers to the press revealing that the Labour government was back‐pedalling on a manifesto pledge to launch a non‐means‐tested child benefit. The benefit was rolled out the following year.

As CPAG director, Frank helped pave the way for free school meals, rent allowances for low‐income families and the minimum wage. From 1974 to 1980 he was also director of the Low Pay Unit.

He also increased awareness of the concept of the ‘poverty trap’ – now commonly used to describe the difficulties for working people of becoming better off while claiming means‐tested benefits because of the high rate at which benefits are withdrawn as earnings rise.

Frank entered Parliament in 1979 as MP for Birkenhead, where he continued to champion child benefit and other social protection policies over his four decades of service. Frank chaired the Social Security Select Committee in the 1990s, when Tony Blair asked him to ‘think the unthinkable’ on social security reform. Frank recommended a modernised universal social insurance scheme which did not become party policy.

Frank was minister for welfare reform for just over a year in New Labour’s first cabinet. He then served as a member of the Public Accounts Committee between 2002 and 2005. Frank chaired the Work and Pensions Committee from 2015 to 2019, where he led inquiries including on universal credit (UC) and the two‐child limit, about which he said:

‘Any family in this country, except the super‐rich, could fall foul of the two‐child limit if their circumstances changed for the worse. This is exactly why social security must act as a national insurance scheme covering people when they’re most exposed to hardship ‐ not increase it.’

Frank became a Crossbench peer in October 2020. In his maiden speech in the House of Lords, Frank spoke out against the £20 a week cut to UC and said: ‘my pledge is to work with as many of you here who wish to defeat any government plan, should that be their aim, not to continue to pay the £1,000‐a‐year extra in universal credit’.

It’s clear from the many tributes to Frank that he was much respected across the political spectrum. His legacy will continue in the work of the organisations he leaves behind, including the Frank Field Education Trust and Feeding Britain.

Frank was a true champion for children and low‐income families. He was a rare and admirable ‘one off’. He will be greatly missed. Our deep sympathy and condolences to those closest to him.