Scrap two-child benefit cap to end child poverty, Labour told: ‘Good intentions are not enough’

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https://www.bigissue.com/news/social-justice/two-child-benefit-cap-poverty-taskforce/

The new Labour government has promised an ‘ambitious plan’ to end child poverty, but it is yet to commit to ending the two-child limit

The new Labour government has launched a taskforce to work towards ending child poverty, but charities have warned that “good intentions are not enough” as they ramp up calls for the two-child benefit cap to be scrapped.

Keir Starmer’s party has promised an “ambitious” plan for ending child poverty, but it has so far refused to commit to removing the two-child limit, which is also referred to as the two-child benefit cap and has been described as “one of the cruellest welfare policies of the past decade”.

It means that families who have a third child or subsequent children born after April 2017 are denied up to £3,500 a year compared with those whose children were born sooner.

Alison Garnham, chief executive of Child Poverty Action Group, said: “The taskforce is a welcome first step towards fulfilling the government’s pledge to bring in an ambitious child poverty strategy.  

“But with a record number of kids in poverty now, scrapping the two-child limit on benefits has to happen in the government’s first budget.  The two-child limit is driving up child poverty more than any other policy, children need it to be removed as a priority.”

https://www.bigissue.com/news/social-justice/two-child-benefit-cap-poverty-taskforce/

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