Two-child benefit cap ‘plunges extra 30,000 children into poverty under Labour

The Independent reports that new research ahead of the eighth anniversary of the introduction of the two-child benefit cap has found that an extra 30,000 children have been pulled into poverty by the controversial policy since Labour came to power.

The paper says that last July ministers said they would consider ditching the “cruel” cap, in a bid to head off a backbench Labour revolt on the issue, but there has been no movement since, while official documents last week showed that separate moves to slash an extra £5 billion from the welfare bill are set to drive another 50,000 kids into poverty:

The cap now affects more than 1.6 million children, by limiting welfare payments to the first two children in most families.

New costings from Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) show another 109 more children are pulled into poverty by the policy every day.

And the number of children affected will continue to increase until 2035 - when the first children born under the policy turn 18.

The charity says that scrapping the cap would be the most cost-effective way to lift kids out of poverty.

Were the policy to be dumped, 350,000 children would be lifted from poverty at a stroke, it adds. The depth of the poverty experienced by another 800,000 children would be reduced.

Chief executive of the CPAG Alison Garnham said: “Every day the policy forces families to go hungry and damages the life chances of children up and down the country. Reducing the record high levels of child poverty in the UK will require a whole government effort, but abolishing the two-child limit is the essential first step.”

That this is happening under a Labour government is a disgrace.