Scrap two-child benefit cap to fight poverty, PM urged

Sir Keir Starmer is facing a fresh backlash over the two-child benefit cap after a key economic think tank warned child poverty would hit an all-time high if it is not scrapped.

- ARCHIE MITCHELL MILLIE COOKE

The prime minister has been urged to rethink the Conservativeera limit after the Resolution Foundation said his strategy to tackle child poverty would lack credibility if it remains in place.

Furious Labour MPs told The Independent the two-child limit was a “critical issue” for the government to address, branding it the biggest driver of rising child poverty. Left-winger Kim Johnson said: “Real change requires policies that lift children out of poverty, not ones that entrench hardship. Scrapping the two-child limit must be a priority if the government is serious about tackling child poverty.”

And Nadia Whittome added: “These findings come as little surprise, with child poverty researchers and campaigners long arguing that the two-child limit is the biggest driver of rising child poverty. It is essential that the government’s child poverty strategy includes its abolition. Anything less will not suffice.”

The fresh calls came after Sir Keir said he had found an additional £13.4bn in annual spending to boost the size of Britain’s defence budget to 2.5 per cent of GDP, in a bid to placate Donald Trump and ward off “tyrants” like Vladimir Putin.