Minister: We are hearing the pleas about benefit cap

MINISTERS are "not going to rule anything out when it comes to tackling child poverty", Downing Street has said, after Education Secretary and Sunderland MP Bridget Phillipson suggested that scrapping the two-child benefit cap is "not off the table".

- CAITLIN DOHERTY AND CLAUDIA SAVAGE

Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves have been under pressure to axe the system which restricts child tax credit and universal credit to the first two children in most households. North East mayor Kim McGuinness has joined MPs from the region and campaigners in calling for the cap to be removed.

The Government's child poverty strategy, which was due to be published in the spring, is now set to come in the autumn so it can be aligned with the Chancellor's budget.

And asked if she would scrap the cap, Ms Phillipson - who is leading the Government's child poverty task force alongside the Work and Pensions Secretary - told the BBC: “We're certainly looking at it as part of the task force. Nothing's off the table but this is not straightforward, the costs are high.”

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said that the Government is “absolutely committed to tackling child poverty”.