As politicians debate Brexit, poverty crisis leaves families struggling | ITV News

They say no one is more than a pay packet away from disaster and that raw reality is never more true than in Liverpool. The maritime city on the River Mersey is a far cry from the Brexit pantomime playing out in the debating chambers of Westminster. Britain's exit from the EU might be the top priority for politicians, but for those living on the breadline, it's about surviving each day. "Sometimes you can be left with £60 to last a month," father-of-four Dominic Barber told ITV News Correspondent John Ray. But when that money runs out after a week, the family is left with nothing, facing an abyss until the next paycheque comes through. "My kids don't ask for nothing, because they know the situation," he said. "My worst nightmare [is] someone knocking on my door, saying sorry Mr Barber, you can't feed your children, you can't clothe your children, I'm going to have to take your kids away. "Because the minute that happens, I won't be on this earth." Liverpool's poverty figures are stark - one in three children in Merseyside is living below the poverty line - equivalent to more than 35,000 children. The city has the highest figure for children living in poverty after housing costs have been taken into account - 36% - out of the City Region's six local authorities, according to the End Child Poverty coalition. "We're turning into a third world country, that might sound overdramatic, but I don't think it is, people have got nothing at all, absolutely nothing," Shirley Marshall told ITV News. • Subscribe to ITV News on YouTube: http://bit.ly/2lOHmNj • Get breaking news and more stories at http://www.itv.com/news Follow ITV News on Facebook:   / itvnews   Follow ITV News on Twitter:   / itvnews   Follow ITV News on Instagram:   / itvnews