Latest news with #twoChildBenefit
Sky News
06-06-2025
- Business
- Sky News
'A policy Labour never liked - but may not be able to scrap'
Labour may announce tweaks to the two-child benefit cap so that it exempts certain families, Harriet Harman has suggested. It follows ministers, including the prime minister, repeatedly refusing to rule out whether the government will scrap the policy altogether. The cap means families are restricted so that they only receive benefits for their first two children in most households. It is meant to encourage families not to expand beyond their means and become reliant on welfare. But critics say the cap worsens child poverty by leaving the poorest families with a lack of support. Sir Keir Starmer avoided answering Kemi Badenoch's questions about whether he is in favour of removing or altering the cap at PMQs on Wednesday. Baroness Harman has suggested the issue is "not binary" and that the government might tweak it instead of scrapping it or leaving it as it is. "The question is whether Labour can afford to get rid of it. But actually, it's not binary - 'do Labour keep it or do they scrap it?'" 2:37 Instead, the former deputy Labour leader said ministers may be looking at "ways they could cut it down". She continued: "For example, they could remove the two-child benefit policy for families with disabled children. They could remove the two-child benefit policy for families who are working, or something like that. "So, it might be that what they're trying to work out is not scrapping it altogether." The Labour peer said "narrowing it down a bit" might be the policy the government go with, as this would allow them to seem more generous and dedicated to tackling child poverty, while minimising the extra strain on the Treasury. Speaking on the podcast, Sky News' political editor Beth Rigby said she understands that Sir Keir's chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, is against changing the two-child benefit cap. This is because "it apparently does poll well, with voters, people, people around the country quite supportive of the policy", she said. What are the other parties saying on the cap? Kemi Badenoch has ruled out lifting the cap, saying it is "fair" and ensures that families receiving welfare make choices within their means. On the other side of the argument, Nigel Farage has called for the cap to be scrapped and has said Reform UK would like to see more people in the UK having larger families. The party leader said lifting the cap would be just one of several measures he would introduce to encourage Britons to have more children. But these suggestions have been roundly criticised by the leaders of both Labour and the Tories for being unfunded policy commitments. On Wednesday, Sir Keir refused to answer questions directly about the spending cap during a visit to a school in Essex. He was in the classroom to drive home the government's expansion of free school meals, which will mean 500,000 children are now eligible for them. He called this a "statement of intent" and said he is waiting on his child poverty taskforce, which will report back with recommendations for the government to follow.
The Independent
27-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Ministers ‘considering' scrapping two-child benefit cap after Farage vows to axe it
The education secretary has given the strongest signal yet that the government will scrap the two-child benefit cap, saying that lifting it is 'certainly something we are considering'. It comes ahead of a major speech from Nigel Farage on Tuesday, where he will commit to scrapping the benefit cap and reinstating the winter fuel payment in full in an attempt to position his party as the true opposition to Labour. The Reform UK leader is also expected to accuse the government of lacking the will to bring net migration down to zero, and claim Sir Keir's deal with the EU 'betrays the very essence of Brexit'. But hitting back at Reform's plans, Bridget Phillipson dubbed the party 'just not serious', claiming Mr Farage would 'dismantle the NHS as we know it' and 'massively undermine our ability to deliver free breakfast clubs' by reinstating tax breaks for private schools. Asked whether she thinks the government should lift the two-child benefit cap, Ms Phillipson said: 'It's not off the table. It's certainly something that we're considering. We've always been clear that social security measures are an important part of what the child poverty task force is looking at.' She told Sky News that tackling child poverty is 'personal' to her, insisting it is the 'moral purpose' of this government. 'It's personal to me, because for part of my childhood, I experienced what too many children right now in our country are experiencing, and I know the damage it does', she said. 'I know the scar it has, not just for those individual children and families, but, actually, for all of us. 'We're all poorer as a country when we aren't able to benefit from the amazing talent of so many children and families. That's why we're serious about tackling child poverty.' Sir Keir Starmer is privately said to be in favour of doing away with the two-child benefit cap – a policy that restricts parents from claiming certain benefits for more than two of their children. Critics of the policy say removing it would be the most effective way of reducing child poverty amid warnings that as many as 100 children are pulled into poverty every day by the limit. However, it is thought the cap won't be lifted until the government publishes its child poverty strategy, which has now been delayed until the autumn. There is growing pressure on Labour to scrap it, as well as to water down its upcoming welfare cuts, as fresh polling showed that almost half of all red wall voters disapprove of the way the government has acted on benefits. A new poll conducted by Merlin Strategy across 42 red wall seats - those historically held by Labour - 48 per cent of people had a negative view of the government's handling of benefits policies, while just 25 per cent approved. Of those who said they voted Labour at the 2024 election, people were divided – with 38 per cent approving and 38 per cent disapproving. Meanwhile, within his own party, the prime minister is facing a rebellion from MPs over controversial welfare cuts, which will see personal independence payments (PIP) cut for 800,000 people with disabilities, and a growing unease over the direction of the party. Last week, in an attempt to win back disillusioned voters and appease his MPs, the prime minister announced plans to row back on last year's controversial decision to means test the winter fuel payment, telling the Commons he would look at increasing the thresholds at which people start to receive the benefit. Today's speech, framed as Mr Farage's 'pitch to working people' will see the Reform leader flanked by council leaders, mayors and Runcorn MP Sarah Pochin. A party source said Mr Farage will challenge Sir Keir 'to go to a working man's club in the north of England with him and see who connects better with working people'. But asked about his proposals, the education secretary hit back: "It's just not serious. They're just not serious people. It's not credible. 'This is a party, after all, that doesn't believe in the NHS, that would dismantle the NHS as we know it, that has consistently opposed the measures that Labour has brought in to back workers through the Employment Rights bill, making sure, for example, that more workers can have access to sick pay. 'Those are the kinds of decisions that are that reform are interested in making. 'The one policy that they have in education is to reintroduce tax breaks to private schools, which would massively undermine our ability to deliver free breakfast clubs - the kinds of measures that working families are benefiting from right now. 'That's Reform. That's who they are. They're not on the side of working people. They're not serious about how they deliver change. And every time they get the opportunity to back working people, for example, with better rights at work, they oppose it." Mr Farage has previously called for an end to the NHS being funded through taxes, but has been unable to say how it would be paid for instead. While he has insisted that he wants the health service to remain 'free at the point of delivery', he added that Reform is looking into 'how we get there'.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Is Starmer Really Looking To Lift The Two-Child Benefit Cap? Here's What We Know
Keir Starmer might be on the cusp of lifting the two-child benefit cap, according to some reports. It comes after months of backlash towards the policy from both voters and Labour backbenchers. The prime minister has already U-turned on the government's controversial decision to axe winter fuel payments for 10 million pensioners last autumn, saying he wanted more people to be eligible for the lump sum last Wednesday. So here's what we know about might end up being Starmer's next 180... The policy, imposed by the Conservative government in 2017, restricts the amount of benefits a family can claim. It prevents most families from claiming means-testing benefits for any more than two of their children born after April 2017. As soon as Labour were elected last July, they confirmed they would be keeping the cap. Starmer even removed the whip from seven MPs who voted against the government and in favour of removing the policy. The cap has added to a growing headache for the government amid its wider crackdown on the welfare state. Two mothers even challenged the government in court over it in November. But Labour has kept it in place because of the country's economic woes – this policy alone is estimated to save the taxpayer around £3.5 billion per year – and the £22bn black hole the Tories supposedly left in the public finances. The Observer reported over the weekend that Starmer had privately backed abolishing the limit and requested the Treasury finds £3.5bn to do so. It comes after Reform UK leader Nigel Farage announced he would scrap the benefit cap and bring back the winter fuel payments as he looks to win over left-leaning voters. But deputy prime minister Angela Rayner refused to say if the cap would be scrapped when speaking to broadcasters on Sunday. She told Sky News: 'Lifting any measures that will alleviate poverty for some of the poorest families is not a bad idea.' But she told the BBC: 'I'm not going to speculate on what our government is going to do.' She pointed out that the government established the Child Poverty Taskforce, which is looking into whether to keep or abandon the cap. The taskforce was expected to publish Labour's child poverty strategy was in spring, but it has now been delayed to in autumn. The government has also suggested any such decisions would be made as part of a fiscal event – the next one being June 11′s spending review. Labour has fallen dramatically down the opinion polls in the last 10 months, while Reform UK storm ahead. YouGov found that the PM has fallen to his lowest net favorability rating last week, with just 23% of Britons having a positive view of Starmer. But polling guru Sir John Curtice told The Independent that lifting the cap – or reversing the changes to the winter fuel payments – would not be enough to fix Labour's fortunes in the polls. Pointing to Starmer's winter fuel U-turn, Curtice said: 'These things stick in the memory – so you can change the policy now and you can probably reduce the damage, but it's difficult to erase some people's memory.' Similarly, Tory peer and pollster Lord Hayward told the newspaper too many changes of heart could open the doors to future bids for reversals of policy while also undermining Starmer's authority. 'It is a display of insecurity which automatically gives rise to talk about the replacement of a leader,' he said. Liz Kendall Sparks Fresh Backlash As She Doubles Down On 'Cruel' Plan To Slash Disability Benefits 'This Is Austerity, Isn't It?': Justin Webb Roasts Minister Over Benefits Cuts Labour Slammed Over 'Simply Indefensible' £5 Billion Cuts To Disability Benefits
Sky News
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Red Wall MPs should focus on two-child benefit cap rather than winter fuel, Harriet Harman says
Red Wall MPs should push for the two-child benefit cap to be lifted rather than a reversal of the winter fuel payment policy, Baroness Harriet Harman has said. Baroness Harman, the former Labour Party chair, told Sky's Electoral Dysfunction podcast that this would hand the group a "progressive win" rather than simply "protesting and annoying Sir Keir Starmer" over winter fuel. Earlier this week, a number of MPs in the Red Wall - Labour's traditional heartlands in the north of England - reposted a statement on social media in which they said the leadership's response to the local elections had "fallen on deaf ears". They singled out the cut to the winter fuel allowance as an issue that was raised on the doorstep and urged the government to rethink the policy, arguing doing so "isn't weak, it takes us to a position of strength". Labour's decision to means test the policy has snatched the benefit away from millions of pensioners. The cap, announced in 2015 as part of Lord David Cameron's austerity measures, means while parents can claim child tax credit or Universal Credit payments for their first and second child, they can't make claims for any further children they have. Labour faced pressure to remove the cap in the early months of government, with ministers suggesting in February that they were considering relaxing the limit. Baroness Harman told Beth Rigby that this could be a sensible pressure point for Red Wall MPs to target. She said: "It could be that they have a kind of progressive win, and it might not be a bad thing to do in the context of an overall strategy on child poverty. "Let's see whether instead of just protesting and annoying Sir Keir Starmer, they can build a bridge to a new progressive set of policies." Jo White, the Labour MP for Bassetlaw and a member of the Red Wall group, suggested that her party's "connection" to a core group of voters "died" with the decision to means test the winter fuel payment for pensioners. "We need to reset the government," she told Electoral Dysfunction. "The biggest way to do that is by tackling issues such as winter fuel payments. "I think we should raise the thresholds so that people perhaps who are paying a higher level of tax are the only people who are exempt from getting it." A group of MPs in the Red Wall, thought to number about 40, met on Tuesday night following the fallout of local election results in England, which saw Labour lose the Runcorn by-election and control of Doncaster Council to Reform UK. Following the results, Sir Keir said "we must deliver that change even more quickly - we must go even further". Some Labour MPs believe it amounted to ignoring voters' concerns. One of the MPs who was present at the meeting told Sky News there was "lots of anger at the government's response to the results". "People acknowledged the winter fuel allowance was the main issue for us on the doorstep," they said. "There is a lack of vision from this government." Another added: "Everyone was furious."
Sky News
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Red Wall MPs should focus on two-child benefit cap rather than winter fuel payment U-turn, Harriet Harman says
Red Wall MPs should push for the two-child benefit cap to be lifted rather than a reversal of the winter fuel payment policy, Baroness Harriet Harman has said. Baroness Harman, the former Labour Party chair, told Sky's Electoral Dysfunction podcast that this would hand the group a "progressive win" rather than simply "protesting and annoying Sir Keir Starmer" over winter fuel. Earlier this week, a number of MPs in the Red Wall - Labour's traditional heartlands in the north of England - reposted a statement on social media in which they said the leadership's response to the local elections had "fallen on deaf ears". They singled out the cut to the winter fuel allowance as an issue that was raised on the doorstep and urged the government to rethink the policy, arguing doing so "isn't weak, it takes us to a position of strength". Labour's decision to means test the policy has snatched the benefit away from millions of pensioners. The cap, announced in 2015 as part of Lord David Cameron's austerity measures, means while parents can claim child tax credit or Universal Credit payments for their first and second child, they can't make claims for any further children they have. Labour faced pressure to remove the cap in the early months of government, with ministers suggesting in February that they were considering relaxing the limit. Baroness Harman told Beth Rigby that this could be a sensible pressure point for Red Wall MPs to target. She said: "It could be that they have a kind of progressive win, and it might not be a bad thing to do in the context of an overall strategy on child poverty. "Let's see whether instead of just protesting and annoying Sir Keir Starmer, they can build a bridge to a new progressive set of policies." Jo White, the Labour MP for Bassetlaw and a member of the Red Wall group, suggested that her party's "connection" to a core group of voters "died" with the decision to means test the winter fuel payment for pensioners. "We need to reset the government," she told Electoral Dysfunction. "The biggest way to do that is by tackling issues such as winter fuel payments. "I think we should raise the thresholds so that people perhaps who are paying a higher level of tax are the only people who are exempt from getting it." A group of MPs in the Red Wall, thought to number about 40, met on Tuesday night following the fallout of local election results in England, which saw Labour lose the Runcorn by-election and control of Doncaster Council to Reform UK. Following the results, Sir Keir said "we must deliver that change even more quickly - we must go even further". Some Labour MPs believe it amounted to ignoring voters' concerns. One of the MPs who was present at the meeting told Sky News there was "lots of anger at the government's response to the results". "People acknowledged the winter fuel allowance was the main issue for us on the doorstep," they said. "There is a lack of vision from this government." Another added: "Everyone was furious."
