Two-child benefit cap attacked by Labour minister in hint it could be scrapped
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, co-chair of the Government's Child Poverty Task Force, said the two-child benefit limit would not have been brought in under Labour and said it is 'clear' it is having an impact
A Labour frontbencher has attacked the impact of the two-child benefit limit - in the strongest hint yet it could be ripped up.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said it "was not something that a Labour government would have introduced" before saying it was "clear" it had an impact on child poverty. Ms Phillipson, who co-chairs the Government's Child Poverty Task Force, said she is looking at "every way in which can lift more children out of poverty".
Ministers face growing calls to tear up the controversial policy, which restricts Child Tax Credit and Universal Credit to the first two children in a household. Ms Phillipson said: "The two child limit was not something that a Labour government would have introduced.
"It was a measure introduced by the Conservative Party. It's clear it's had a significant impact.."
The Education Secretary said she and Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall, her fellow co-chair, are looking at how social security measures can bring rates down. She said: "As part of the work that I'm doing together with the Work and Pensions Secretary, we're looking at every way in which we can lift more children out of poverty.
"So all areas are under consideration, including social security measures."
Think-tank the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has estimated that half a million children could be lifted out of poverty if the two-child limit was scrapped. The policy, drawn up by Tory austerity Chancellor George Osborne, came into effect in 2017.
Ms Phillipson said: "Child poverty is a scar on this country it devastates childrens' life chances but it damages all of us and we're all poorer as a result of so many children growing up in poverty."
The Government's strategy was expected to be presented in the spring, but is now not set to be released until later this year.
"We'll publish the child poverty strategy later this year. We want to make sure it's thorough and comprehensive and addresses all of the challenges we face, but also demonstrates clear Government action to bring down child poverty.
"Of course, we're not waiting around for the child poverty strategy. I was delighted to be able to announce the expansion of free school meals eligibility to all families on Universal Credit, and that will lift at least 200,000 children out of poverty.
"It will benefit more than half a million children, and it puts money directly back in the parents pockets. So that is I'm delighted we were able to deliver that, because I know it will make a really big difference to parents, to children, but also to schools as well, because what they tell me is that the damage that poverty causes affects children's ability to learn.
"So that is the difference that a Labour Government is able to make within the first year." Ms Phillipson also pointed to free breakfast clubs being rolled out across the country, as well as school-based nurseries providing more childcare places, and a cut in the cost of school uniforms.
"These are all practical measures that will help parents, but also will deliver better outcomes for children," she said. But the Government faces criticism after its own data suggested 50,000 children could be pushed into relative poverty by 2030 as a result of welfare cuts.
" What the data doesn't take into account is the extra support that we're putting in place around supporting people back into work," she said. "It also doesn't account for the changes that we've made around free school meals.
"So as a government, we are committed to bringing down the number of children growing up in poverty."
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