THERE are more than a million children of key workers living in poverty in Britain, a shocking new report reveals. The research, conducted for the TUC by Landman Economics, found that, in some regions, more than a quarter of young people in essential-worker households are experiencing hardship. Key worker families in the north-east of England have the highest rate of child poverty, 29 per cent, just ahead of London’s 27 per cent, while a quarter of such families in the West Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions are affected. The TUC said that the main reasons for family poverty are low pay and insecure hours, factors that often coincide in essential occupations such as care work, delivery driving or supermarkets.