Diolch, Llywydd. The picture of poverty in Wales is stark. Wales faces the highest relative poverty rate in the United Kingdom, with almost one in four people living in income poverty today. The issue often comes down to social class. Office for National Statistics figures show that if you're a woman living in a working-class city, you're likely to die seven years earlier than if you were living in an affluent area. If you are a disadvantaged child, you are 27 per cent less likely to achieve five or more GCSEs at A to C grades. If you attend a private school, by the time you are 40, you will be earning 35 per cent more than a state school pupil. If you are homeless as an adult, you were almost certainly poor and working class as a child. Class shapes our nation. For many, it constrains their life chances and derails their aspirations. For others, it confers a life of power and privilege.