One-in-five children is growing up in a household claiming out-of-work benefits, it has been claimed.
The Conservatives released figures obtained from the Government showing that 2.2 million children were living in homes dependent on unemployment benefits.
In some parts of the country almost half of all children were said to be in households dependent on benefits - 49.2% in the worst affected constituency, Manchester Central.
According to the Tories, Britain now has the highest proportion rate of children living in workless households anywhere in Europe.
Shadow work and pensions secretary Chris Grayling said that the figures were a "shocking indictment" of the Government's failure to tackle child poverty.
"Gordon Brown and his ministers are always claiming how much they have done - but the reality on the ground tells a very different story," he said.
"Worklessness is endemic in many communities, but even so, the fact that nearly half the children brought up in some areas come from homes entirely dependent on benefits is a figure that should bring shame to ministers, particularly given the fact that so many people have come to work in Britain from overseas in the past 10 years," he said.
