Starmer faces mounting pressure to abolish child benefit cap

The Herald Scotland

19-05-2025

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.
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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.
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'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.