
Starmer faces mounting pressure to abolish child benefit cap
The report, complied for Labour-affiliated pressure group Compass, is also backed by new research commissioned by dozens of charities, including CPAG, Save the Children and Barnardo's.
It found that almost three quarters (73%) believed that all children 'deserve a good childhood, even if it costs the government more to support families that need it'.
Some 71% also agreed that children must be prioritised in government investment, according to the survey.
The Herald joined with 23 of the country's leading charities to urge the Prime Minister to abolish the cap, warning the policy, which prevents families from claiming child tax credit and universal credit for more than two children, is 'one of the most significant drivers of child poverty in the UK today,' adding: 'It punishes children for circumstances entirely beyond their control'.
It has been estimated that 250,000 children across the UK out of poverty overnight.
Read more:
Charities warn Swinney's child poverty plan is not 'new'
The Herald unites with 23 charities on child poverty push
Disabled children 'plunged into poverty by damaging UK cuts'
Child poverty inaction is 'deliberate act of state harm'
The Prime Minister, and his officials, have yet to respond to last month's open letter.
As the UK Government looks to publish its child poverty taskforce in the coming months, it has also faced calls for introduce legally binding targets to reduce child poverty.
Legally binding targets already exist in Scotland and, backed by politicians across the political sphere, means the Scottish Government has committed to reducing absolute child poverty to under 10% by 2030 and absolute child poverty to under 5% - although interim targets were recently missed.
A total of 4.5 million children in the UK are reported to live in poverty – a record high at 31%.
Rates are expected to rise further in every part of the UK – except for Scotland by 2029.
Alison Garnham, the chief executive of CPAG, said: 'Almost a year after the election, the government's manifesto commitment to tackle child poverty remains hugely popular.
Read more:
Herald urges Starmer to scrap two child benefit cap
The Herald unites with 23 charities on child poverty push
'A child poverty strategy that increases living standards and improves life chances will make the crucial difference to children, their families and the country alike. The public stands in support of the 4.5 million children in the UK living in poverty and now it's time for government to act – starting by scrapping the two-child limit.'
It is understood UK ministers were privately ruling out scrapping this cap, with the Guardian reporting last month that insiders said: 'If they still think we're going to scrap the cap then they're listening to the wrong people.
'We're simply not going to find a way to do that. The cap is popular with key voters, who see it as a matter of fairness.'
Meanwhile, Scotland's First Minister John Swinney has committed to mitigating the two-child benefit cap by April 2026, at an estimated cost of £200 million per year.
The UK Government has been asked for comment.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Glasgow Times
24 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Controversial Loch Lomond Flamingo Land plans recalled
In September 2024, the Yorkshire-based theme park operator, Flamingo Land Ltd, had their planning permission in principle rejected by all 14 board members of the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs Planning Authority. Now, plans for the development at Lomond Banks have been recalled by Scottish Ministers reports our sister title The National. Minister for Public Finance, Ivan McKee (below), said he has recalled the plans as the proposed development raises issues of 'national significance'. He said: 'I have decided to recall the Lomond Banks appeal as the proposed development raises issues of national significance in view of its potential impact on Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. 'This means that the appeal should be determined at a national level.' The news comes after more than 50,000 people wrote to McKee in just two weeks, demanding that the Scottish Government withdraw its approval of the mega-resort planning application. Scottish Greens MSP Ross Greer said the public's opinion on the proposal, which is the most opposed in Scottish planning history with more than 155,000 individuals lodging objections, 'couldn't be clearer'. He said: 'In just two weeks the Planning Minister has heard directly from over 50,000 people calling on him to block these proposals. Public opinion couldn't be clearer and it is backed up by experts including the Government's own environment watchdog.' Organisations such as the National Trust for Scotland, the Woodland Trust, the Ramblers, and the Scottish Government environment watchdog, SEPA, also raised objections against the plans.


Daily Record
31 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Lanarkshire MSP calls on Holyrood to make sure OAPs aren't left behind on winter fuel payments
More than 75 per cent of pensioners in England and Wales will be entitled to the new annual payment of up to £300 after the Labour government abandoned one of its first, and most controversial, policies. A Lanarkshire MSP has called on the Scottish Government to ensure local pensioners aren't left behind following the UK Government's u-turn on winter fuel payments. More than 75 per cent of pensioners in England and Wales will be entitled to the new annual payment of up to £300 after the Labour government abandoned one of its first, and most controversial, policies. Scotland has already created a devolved benefit of £100 for all pensioner households, potentially leaving hundreds of thousands of Scots worse off than their counterparts south of the border. Central Scotland list Labour MSP Monica Lennon said 'This is welcome news that will bring even more money to people in Lanarkshire – on top of the record funding settlement Labour delivered for Scotland in the budget. 'While the last Tory government left our public finances in chaos, Labour has made good progress cleaning up the mess it inherited. 'The Winer Fuel Payment is a devolved payment in Scotland and Scottish Labour has been clear that we want to see it reinstated for the majority of pensioners here – but despite their loud spin, the SNP voted against our attempts to do so. 'That's why we are urging the SNP not go ahead with plans that would unfairly hit poorer pensioners. 'The SNP must re-examine their own proposals in light of this game-changing announcement, ensure payments reach those most in need, and give a cast-iron guarantee that no struggling Scottish pensioners will be left out of pocket under their plans.' Last July, Chancellor Reeves drew widespread criticism over cuts to the winter fuel payment - a lump sum of £200 a year for households with a pensioner under 80, or £300 for households with a pensioner over 80 - in a bid to save an estimated £1.4 billion. In response, the Scottish Government introduced a new scheme offering those in receipt of qualifying benefits like Pension Credit £200 or £300 depending on their age, and £100 for all other pensioner households. However, while the benefit for pensioners above the income threshold will be clawed back through tax, richer pensioners in Scotland will be able to keep the payment. Following the latest announcement from Westminster, Scottish pensioners who do not get pension credit but whose income is below that £35,000 threshold are expected to receive £100 less than if they lived in England or Wales. Shirley-Anne Somerville said Scotland introduced a winter heating payment for all pensioners because of the UK government's 'betrayal of millions of pensioners'. She said the Scottish Government welcomed the U-turn, but 'there is still no detail about how the Chancellor intends to go about that'. The social justice secretary said: 'We have once again not been consulted on the policy and its implications in Scotland and will scrutinise the proposals carefully when they are announced. 'I would therefore urge the UK Government to ensure the Scottish government is fully appraised of the proposed changes as soon as possible.'


BreakingNews.ie
36 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Retired civil servants and ministers to have pension deductions checked
Around 13,000 current and former civil servants and ministers are to have their pension deductions assessed for possible anomalies, Public Expenditure Minister Jack Chambers said. Mr Chambers said that serious and systemic operational issues in the National Shared Services Office (NSSO) were brought to his attention in late March, after which further issues were found. Advertisement Because of administrative errors in the NSSO, members of the current Government, some members of previous governments and a number of office holders have had incorrect application of pension deductions. Retired civil servants who were in receipt of allowances prior to retirement were also the subject of miscalculations. The NSSO provides services such as human resources, payroll, pension, and finance management services to public service bodies. The full scale of the issues, relating to payroll and pensions, and the number of people impacted is still being assessed. Advertisement The Cabinet was briefed on the administrative errors in the NSSO on Tuesday. There are three cohorts impacted by these errors: current and former ministers and office holders, Civil Service retirees with work-sharing patterns, and retired senior civil servants. The Department of Public Expenditure said the issues were not the fault of any of the individuals impacted. A pool of 13,000 retired civil servants is being assessed, a small fraction of whom are expected to be affected by the anomaly. Advertisement One issue relates to the miscalculation and under-payment of pensions for some work-sharing Civil Service retirees who were in receipt of allowances prior to retirement in the last 20 years or so. Another issue relates to the incorrect application of pension deductions for most members of the current Government, Ministers of State, some members of previous governments and recent office holders. This relates to superannuation deductions and Additional Superannuation Contributions (ASC) with respect to salaries, allowances and gifted income. The NSSO is starting a process to contact ministers to outline the issue to them and to make arrangements for the recoupment of monies owed or to issue refunds as appropriate. Advertisement The amounts involved range from hundreds of euros to the low 30,000s of euro, in terms of monies to be recouped. A number of ministers are due refunds ranging from hundreds of euros up to the low 20,000s of euro. The third issue relates to the administration of Chargeable Excess Tax (CT) and Withholding Tax (WHT) in respect of senior grade Civil Service pensioners. Chargeable Excess Tax is a tax on pension funds at retirement which exceed the Standard Fund Threshold, which is currently €2 million. Advertisement In a small number of cases, this tax was not correctly applied by the NSSO. Similar to the CET issue, withholding tax is deducted from retirement lump sums over €200,000 and most likely applies to those from principal officer level upwards. In total between CET and WHT, NSSO has identified 30 cases. The liabilities for this cohort range from a few hundred euros to €280,000. Ireland Nationwide rent controls planned as Government loo... Read More Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers said the issues brought to his attention are 'completely unacceptable'. 'The NSSO has responsibility for the essential function of the provision of pay and pensions to public and civil servants and it has failed in this fundamental duty. 'I have instructed the CEO of the NSSO that the multiple errors must be corrected by the NSSO as a matter of urgency, particularly regarding the treatment of retirees who had been on a work-sharing pattern in the Civil Service.'