Scrapping two-child benefit cap will help 70,000 homes

Tens of thousands of families with multiple children could receive thousands of pounds more in annual payments if ministers scrap the two-child benefit cap, according to official figures.

- TOM WATLING

More than 70,000 households would be entitled to over £18,000 a year in child benefits if the policy is lifted, with the largest families gaining more than £20,000 compared with the current system.

The cap, introduced under Conservative welfare reforms, blocks parents from claiming the child element of universal credit worth £292.81 a month for a third or subsequent child born after April 2017.