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Wales Online
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Wales Online
Eluned Morgan calls for ‘damaging' two-child benefit cap to be scrapped
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Sir Keir Starmer is under increasing pressure to abolish the two-child benefit cap, following comments from Wales' First Minister who labelled it "damaging" for families. There appear to be tensions between the Prime Minister and the Welsh Labour leader in recent weeks, with Baroness Eluned Morgan recently urging for the winter fuel allowance to be reinstated, for the "majority of pensioners" and a rethink on planned welfare cuts. Introduced by the Tories in 2017, the benefit cap limits child tax credit and universal credit to the first two children in a majority of households, reports PA. The Government has faced ongoing calls to scrap the policy, highlighted by seven Labour MPs defying party lines to vote against the King's Speech due to its omission of a pledge to remove the cap, all within Sir Keir's initial month as leader. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson suggested scrapping the policy is "not off the table" earlier this week, before Downing Street revealed ministers are "not going to rule anything out when it comes to tackling child poverty". 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. Speaking to BBC Wales on Wednesday, Baroness Morgan said: "Today we've issued a statement to call on the UK Government to get rid of the two-child benefit cap. We think it is damaging for lots of families in Wales." Plaid Cymru has branded the First Minister's comments "staggering hypocrisy from Labour", adding it is "panic, driven by polling, not values". Ms Phillipson, who is leading the Government's child poverty task force alongside the Work and Pensions Secretary, said the taskforce is "certainly looking at" the policy, when asked if she would scrap the cap. "As I say, nothing's off the table but this is not straightforward, the costs are high," she added. The Prime Minister's official spokesman said on Tuesday that the Government is "absolutely committed to tackling child poverty". He later added: "We've been very clear that we're not going to rule anything out when it comes to tackling child poverty, and the ministerial task force is considering all available levers to give every child the best start in life as part of our strategy." The spokesman said that he would not speculate on the measures that could be included in their plans. The North Wales Live Whatsapp community for top stories and breaking news is live now - here's how to sign up Find out what's happening near you
North Wales Live
29-05-2025
- Politics
- North Wales Live
Eluned Morgan calls for ‘damaging' two-child benefit cap to be scrapped
Sir Keir Starmer is under increasing pressure to abolish the two-child benefit cap, following comments from Wales' First Minister who labelled it "damaging" for families. There appear to be tensions between the Prime Minister and the Welsh Labour leader in recent weeks, with Baroness Eluned Morgan recently urging for the winter fuel allowance to be reinstated, for the "majority of pensioners" and a rethink on planned welfare cuts. Introduced by the Tories in 2017, the benefit cap limits child tax credit and universal credit to the first two children in a majority of households, reports PA. The Government has faced ongoing calls to scrap the policy, highlighted by seven Labour MPs defying party lines to vote against the King's Speech due to its omission of a pledge to remove the cap, all within Sir Keir's initial month as leader. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson suggested scrapping the policy is "not off the table" earlier this week, before Downing Street revealed ministers are "not going to rule anything out when it comes to tackling child poverty". 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. Speaking to BBC Wales on Wednesday, Baroness Morgan said: "Today we've issued a statement to call on the UK Government to get rid of the two-child benefit cap. We think it is damaging for lots of families in Wales." Plaid Cymru has branded the First Minister's comments "staggering hypocrisy from Labour", adding it is "panic, driven by polling, not values". Ms Phillipson, who is leading the Government's child poverty task force alongside the Work and Pensions Secretary, said the taskforce is "certainly looking at" the policy, when asked if she would scrap the cap. "As I say, nothing's off the table but this is not straightforward, the costs are high," she added. The Prime Minister's official spokesman said on Tuesday that the Government is "absolutely committed to tackling child poverty". He later added: "We've been very clear that we're not going to rule anything out when it comes to tackling child poverty, and the ministerial task force is considering all available levers to give every child the best start in life as part of our strategy." The spokesman said that he would not speculate on the measures that could be included in their plans.
The National
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Anas Sarwar must not 'stay silent' on two-child benefit cap
The Scottish Labour leader was told to listen to calls from Save the Children that the UK Government should take urgent action. The charity warned that 20,000 children are at risk of being dragged further into poverty without action from UK ministers. The two-child benefit cap prevents parents from claiming child benefit or universal credit for more than two children. It was introduced by the Tories in 2017. READ MORE: Is the UK Government going to 'scrap the two-child benefit cap'? Labour was previously opposed to the policy, but after taking power in Number 10, Starmer removed the whip from seven MPs who voted against the policy in an SNP amendment to the King's Speech. The Scottish Government is currently mitigating the Westminster policy, with First Minister John Swinney promising those impacted they will receive payments by April next year. Reports suggest Starmer 'privately' wants to axe the two-child benefit cap, but Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner refused to confirm the move in media interviews. (Image: Justin Tallis/PA Wire) It comes as Starmer's child poverty strategy has been delayed until the autumn, after it was due to originally be published in spring. Save the Children said they were 'disappointed' by the delay. 'Keir Starmer must take action to make sure the strategy scraps the cruel two-child limit policy in full at the Autumn Budget, and the Comprehensive Spending Review in June must be a start in helping families struggling most with the cost of living,' the charity said on social media. The SNP said Starmer's 'vague words' were not good enough. SNP MSP George Adam said: 'It's not enough for Keir Starmer to mutter that he might want to scrap the two-child cap. And it's not enough for Anas Sarwar to stay silent. READ MORE: MSPs express 'deep concern' over Scottish Parliament trans toilet ban 'Sarwar must stand up to Starmer and demand a firm commitment to abolish the cap, or be seen as complicit in keeping thousands of Scottish children in poverty. 'Every day Labour stalls, more families fall deeper into hardship. 'The SNP has been clear and consistent in calling for the cap to be scrapped, and in government we are doing all we can to choose a different path, through policies like the Scottish Child Payment, free school meals expansion, and a social security system built on dignity and respect. 'Labour says it wants to tackle poverty, now is the time to prove it. No more delays. No more vague soundbites. 'The question is simple, will Starmer scrap the cap, yes or no?' Scottish Labour have been approached for comment. Previously, Sarwar was panned by the SNP for his "silence" after the Welsh First Minister took a stand against Starmer. It comes as Nigel Farage's Reform UK is reportedly set to commit to scrapping the two-child benefit cap as well as restoring the Winter Fuel Payment to all pensioners. Farage is expected to make the announcement in a speech next week, in a bid to appeal to leftwing voters, and attempt to outflank Labour.
New Statesman
23-05-2025
- Politics
- New Statesman
Ian Byrne: 'Hunger is a political choice'
Photo byShortly after Labour's landslide victory at the general election in July 2024, the party removed the whip from seven of its MPs. All seven had voted for an amendment to the King's Speech tabled by the SNP, which would have removed the two-child benefit cap. Among the seven was Ian Byrne, the 52-year-old MP for Liverpool West Derby, a former trade union organiser and previously the office manager for fellow Liverpool Labour MP, Dan Carden. Byrne was first elected to parliament in 2019 and was re-elected in 2024 (although with a decreased majority). In August, he had the whip reinstated alongside four others in the group, including fellow Corbyn-aligned leftwingers Richard Burgon and Rebecca Long-Bailey. When I met Byrne at his parliamentary offices on a bright morning in March, he calmly reiterated his opposition to the two-child cap: 'We won't solve the issue of child poverty without removing it.' For Byrne, tackling child poverty has become a driving mission, so he felt he couldn't turn his back on it that day in the Commons chamber. This mission has deep roots. Before he was elected to parliament, Byrne was employed by Unite, helping organise sub-contracted NHS workers for better pay and conditions. One morning, he and his colleague, Dave Kelly, visited a community centre 'a stone's throw away from Anfield', near to where Byrne (a lifelong Liverpool fan) was living. On his way into the community centre, Byrne saw a group of people in a queue. 'I didn't know what they were queuing up for,' he told me, 'I realised it was for a food bank.' When Byrne looked closer, he saw that there were people he knew in the queue. Though the charity was run on generous donations from locals, the community was struggling. This is reflected in the data. Liverpool is the third most deprived local authority area in England: 63 per cent of its residents live in places that are ranked among the most deprived in England. Three in ten children in the city live in poverty. After seeing people he knew in the queue to access provisions at the food bank, Byrne couldn't sleep that night. 'I felt ashamed of myself that I didn't realise the extent of what we were actually seeing,' he said. The scale of this emergency is stark; and it is growing. According to data from the Department for Work and Pensions, in 2022-23, 2.3 million people lived in a household that had used a food bank in the past 12 months. Between 2017-18 and 2023-24, the number of emergency food parcels handed out by the Trussell Trust more than doubled, from 1.4 million to 3.1 million. A night of tossing and turning moulded an idea, and the next morning, Byrne immediately got in touch with Kelly (an Everton supporter) to start moving. 'I got in touch with Dave and said, maybe we utilise the power of the supporters – we're so close to Anfield and Goodison [Park],' Byrne told me. His plan was to harness the support of the 60,000 Liverpool and 40,000 Everton supporters who descend on the same L4 postcode to watch the two teams play. Their plan was to ask supporters to contribute food or other supplies that would then be redistributed across the city. As fans of the game will know, to have founded a charity that brings together these two ultra-rivals (Liverpool and Everton) is no mean feat. At the teams' next matches, Byrne and Kelly rocked up outside each stadium with wheelie bins, into which fans were encouraged to donate items of food and other essentials. And so, Fans Supporting Foodbanks was born. 'We haven't missed a match at Liverpool and Everton since 2015,' Byrne told me. The initiative has proliferated in the decade since its conception. The team have upgraded from their humble wheelie-bin beginnings and now station trucks outside Anfield and Goodison Park, and are there 'three hours before kick-off at every game, asking fans to contribute through donations of food', Byrne said. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe Those donations support the eight food pantries that are run by Fans Supporting Foodbanks across Liverpool, which the charity has set up to look like farmer's markets. Byrne explained that this is to free them from stigma. 'Food banks are appalling places,' he said. 'The services the volunteers give are magnificent. But it was just so demeaning for the people accessing them. You could see they were defeated before they went in.' By putting more thought into what the food banks could be, or offer to the local community, their influence grew. 'A lot of people go now for the camaraderie as well as the food. It's a place where they feel comfortable, and they feel welcomed. I think that's really important,' Byrne said. Byrne was born in 1972 in Liverpool and grew up on the Stockbridge Village Estate in Knowsley, then known as Cantril Farm. In the 1980s, the estate became synonymous with deprivation and unemployment (the rate was almost 50 per cent for men and 80 per cent for young people after the north-west was particularly hard hit by deindustrialisation). In 1989, when he was 16, Byrne was present at the Hillsborough disaster, the fatal crowd crush which caused the deaths of 97 people. In the following weeks, the police passed false stories to the press that suggested that the incident had been caused by football hooligans and drunkenness among Liverpool FC supporters. Byrne's father was injured in the crush. 'Being at Hillsborough and witnessing the injustice, I think that's why I'm here today,' Byrne said. 'I think that's why I went into the trade union movement and why I got into community activism.' He added: 'You're seeing injustice everywhere and you think, well, what can I do to assist and make change for the better?' With the arrival of a Labour government, Byrne sees an opportunity to resolve this crisis. 'We've got an unbelievable mandate to tackle the issues and that is, for me, what the Labour party was set up to do.' Instituting a Right to Food is top of his requests, as is removing the two-child benefit cap. But he is adamant there cannot be a return to austerity. 'I look at how my city and constituency have been decimated after 15 years of austerity. People can't take it any more. There's nothing more to give.' Indeed, Byrne is worried that if people do not see a tangible improvement in their living standards, Labour risks opening the door to something else coming down the line – namely, Reform. 'People will think, well, I've given the Tories a chance. They've done nothing for me. The Labour Party, we've given them a chance. If they've done nothing for five years, they could quite easily turn to someone like Nigel Farage,' Byrne told me. 'He's got no idea how people live in my community. Nor does he care. But people will go down that path,' he warned. How can Labour stop that from happening? 'There's got to be ambition,' Byrne said. 'Hunger is a political choice, and it's only when you get into this place that you understand how easy it is for the levers of power to actually make decisions like that,' he added. 'It should encompass all wings of every party: it should be tackled with ferocity'. This article first appeared in our Spotlight on Child Poverty supplement, of 23 May 2025, guest edited by Gordon Brown. Related
BBC News
20-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
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A family who went to court to protect a young girl from her paedophile father have criticised government legislation intended to help others in a similar Victims and Courts Bill includes an amendment which would remove parental responsibility from convicted paedophiles - but only if they have abused their own 2023 the BBC reported on a mother who had to spend more than £30,000 to protect her small daughter. Her ex-husband had been convicted of the most serious child sex offences, but kept parental responsibility over his own parents said they were "very disappointed". The government said it would continue to work to make the law "as strong as it needs to be". Over many months in Cardiff Family Court I watched as a young woman, who we called "Bethan", brought a case to protect her young her ex-husband had been convicted of the most serious child sex offences, and was banned from contact with other children, he retained parental responsibility over his own meant that he could have a say over her education, decisions about her health, and where she would could also in future have contact with his daughter. In fact, he told the court from prison via a videolink, he was already writing letters every week to the little girl. He wasn't allowed to send the end of the hearings, the judge granted the mother's application, removing the father's parental rights and barring him from all contact, including on social media, until the child turns family were pleased - but it had cost them over £30,000 in legal Harman, who is now in the Lords but was then an MP, heard my report, and decided to try to change the law, to remove what she called this "glaring anomaly".Her amendment meant that after a criminal conviction for serious child sex offences, a parent would automatically lose their parental like Bethan's would no longer need to go to the Family April 2024 the Conservative Lord Chancellor Alex Chalk supported this change, saying his priority was to protect the best interests of children."This new law will ensure they are automatically safeguarded against those whose despicable actions have shown them to utterly lack any nurturing and caring instincts," he said at the and her parents were delighted. But the government called the July election - and the law didn't the most recent King's Speech, in 2024, the Labour government promised to enact the change, saying it would restrict parental responsibility for child sex when the wording of the new law was published on 7 May it said that removing parental responsibility would only apply "for a serious sexual offence committed against a child for whom the offender has parental responsibility."In other words, where someone had abused their own child or would not cover Bethan's parents said the government should go back to the bill that Harriet Harman had proposed, where the emphasis was on "protecting innocent children".The draft legislation - which will have its second reading in Parliament today - also says the restriction of parental responsibility should apply only where someone has been sentenced to at least four years in grandparents believe it should apply more minister Alex Davies-Jones said in response: "We are protecting children and ensuring victims are properly supported."These changes will, for the first time, introduce an automatic suspension of parental responsibility for offenders who sexually abuse their own child and receive a prison sentence of four years or more - removing the need for victims to go through court to secure this."I do recognise the concerns raised by victims and campaigners and will continue working closely with them to ensure the law is as strong and protective as it needs to be."
