Two-child benefit cap now affecting 1.7m children, data shows

A further 37,000 children were affected by the two-child benefit limit in the year to April, with 1.7 million now living in households affected by the policy, according to new figures described as "devastating and shameful" by charities.

- Jessica Murray

Data released by the Department for Work and Pensions yesterday shows that one in nine children are now affected by the policy, while 62% of affected families have three children and 59% are in work.

Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) described it as a "brutal policy" that was making children's "lives hard and their futures bleak".

"Giving all kids the best start in life will be impossible until government scraps this brutal policy, and a year after the election families can't wait any longer for the help they desperately need," said the charity's chief executive, Alison Garnham.