Latest news with #universalCredit
Sky News
5 days ago
- Business
- Sky News
Starmer doesn't rule out scrapping two-child benefit cap after free school meals expansion
The expansion of free school meals is a "down payment" on the plan to lift children out of poverty, Sir Keir Starmer has said, as he did not rule out scrapping the two-child benefit cap. The prime minister hinted that he wants to go further after opening up free school dinners to half a million more pupils. Currently only those whose parents or guardians have an income of less than £7,400 a year are eligible, but from 2026 it will include children in households on universal credit - a move welcomed by child poverty campaigners. Asked if the change is a substitute or a starter for lifting the two-child benefit cap, Sir Keir said: "This is a statement of intent. It's something that we've been wanting to do for a long time." Pressed if intent meant going further and lifting the cap, he said: "I would say this is a down payment on child poverty. We've got a taskforce that will come out with a strategy. "I want to get to the root causes of child poverty. One of the greatest things the last Labour government did was to drive down child poverty. I am determined we will do that." Sir Keir has been under pressure to lift the cap from the moment he entered Downing Street, with seven Labour MPs suspended within weeks of last year's general election for voting with the SNP to scrap the cap. The cap was announced by the then Conservative chancellor George Osborne before coming into force in 2017 and prevents parents from claiming universal credit or child tax credits from the third child onwards, except in very limited circumstances. It was supposed to incentivise parents to work, but has plunged a rising number of children into poverty, multiple studies have shown. This includes 10,000 more children in the first three months of the Labour government, the Child Poverty Action Group found, adding to the 4.3 million children already living in relative poverty across the UK. Poverty taskforce delayed The government has resisted calls to scrap the cap, instead announcing a child poverty taskforce last July to look at tackling the "root causes" of child poverty, which essentially kicked the issue into the long grass. It was due to report its findings this spring but publication has been pushed back to later this year, fuelling speculation the government wants to use the next budget in the autumn to fund the policy. According to the Resolution Foundation, axing the cap would lift 500,000 children out of poverty by the end of the parliament at a cost of £4.5bn. 0:56 The thinktank said the government's child poverty strategy won't be credible without a commitment to scrap the limit, as other welfare cuts mean child poverty is projected to rise to an all-time high of 4.6 million by 2029. Pressure is mounting on the government following a drubbing at last month's local elections fuelled by the rise in Reform UK's popularity. Reform leader Nigel Farage has committed his party to scrapping the two-child cap, as well as reinstating the winter fuel benefit in full. Sir Keir has recently U-turned on his unpopular cuts to the winter fuel allowance, though the government has ruled out a return to all pensioners receiving it. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said more people will get the payment this winter, but it will likely still be means tested in some form. Calls to bring back Sure Start As well as being urged to scrap the two-child benefit cap, there are growing calls for ministers to revive Sure Start centres, seen by many in the party as one of the crowning achievements of New Labour. The early years service had a "remarkably long-lasting" positive impact on the health and education outcomes of children, a report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies last month found. They were disbanded by the coalition government, but the Child Task Force is expected to recommend their return, according to The Guardian. At a Westminster Hall debate on Wednesday, Labour MP for Bournemouth East Tom Hayes said stamping out child poverty required "nothing less than the resurrection of Sure Start". Meanwhile, writing in Labour List this week, Rother Valley MP Jake Richards suggested investing in Sure Start would be a better long-term approach to child poverty than removing the two-child benefit cap, saying family centres could deliver "tangible change" across the country on the government's key missions.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Starmer describes free school meal expansion as ‘down payment' on child poverty
The expansion of free school meals is a 'down payment' on child poverty, the Prime Minister has said. Charities and campaigners have urged the Government to axe the two-child benefit cap to ease child poverty as ministers set out plans to expand free school meals to all pupils in England in families on universal credit. Asked whether he would go further and abolish the welfare limit, Sir Keir Starmer said: 'I would say this is a down payment on child poverty.' The Prime Minister added that he was 'determined' to drive down child poverty and identify its root causes. Currently, households in England on universal credit must earn below £7,400 a year (after tax and not including benefits) to qualify for free school meals. More than one in four pupils in England are now eligible for free school meals, the latest figures show. An additional 77,700 children became eligible for free school meals over a year, according to data published by the Department for Education (DfE). Eligibility for free school meals stood at 25.7% of all pupils in January this year, the equivalent of 2.17 million children – up from 24.6%, or 2.09 million, in January 2024, the data shows. The Government has said the expansion of free school meals to all pupils in families on universal credit from September 2026 will make 500,000 more children eligible for free lunches during the school day. Ministers have also suggested that the change will lift 100,000 children across England out of poverty. Alongside the extension of free school meals, the DfE said it is working with experts across the sector to review the School Food Standards to ensure every school is supported with the latest nutrition guidance. Sir Keir said Thursday's announcement was part of a broader package of provisions including breakfast clubs and 'so it needs to be seen within that group of measures'. He added: 'But yes, it's a down payment on what I want to do in relation to child poverty.' The Government's child poverty taskforce is due to publish its strategy later this year. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson told Times Radio that the meals extension would be funded and the Government will 'make sure that schools have what they need to deliver this'. Asked why the expansion was not coming into force now, Ms Phillipson told BBC Breakfast: 'We're working as quickly as we can because we do appreciate the urgency, but we also need to work with schools to make this change happen.' Parents have to apply for their children to receive free school meals and eligible children are not automatically enrolled. The announcement has been largely welcomed by education leaders and campaigners, but some organisations have called for the Government to go further and introduce auto-enrolment. Arooj Shah, chairwoman of the Local Government Association's (LGA) children and young people board, said: 'Councils still face data sharing and resource challenges in ensuring as many eligible children as possible receive what they are entitled to. 'Introducing automatic enrolment, using existing government data to capture all those who are entitled to free school meals, would also streamline the process and ensure as many children as possible can benefit, at a time when many families are still under financial pressure.'
The Independent
5 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
More than one in four pupils in England now eligible for free school meals
More than one in four pupils in England are now eligible for free school meals, figures show. An additional 77,700 children became eligible for free school meals over a year, according to data published by the Department for Education (DfE). Eligibility for free school meals stood at 25.7% of all pupils in January this year, the equivalent of 2.17 million children – up from 24.6%, or 2.09 million, in January 2024, the data shows. The figures come as the Government announced plans to expand free school meals to all pupils in England in families that claim universal credit from September 2026. Currently, households in England on universal credit must earn below £7,400 a year (after tax and not including benefits) to qualify for free school meals. The Government has said the expansion will make 500,000 more children eligible for free school meals, and it will save parents nearly £500 every year. It suggested that the change would lift 100,000 children across England out of poverty. Charities have welcomed the expansion as a 'first step' towards easing child poverty, but they urged the Government to axe the two-child benefit cap. Meanwhile, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) warned the expansion would 'not see anything like 100,000 children lifted out of poverty next year'. On Thursday, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said ministers were 'working as quickly as we can' on plans to extend free school meals. She told Times Radio that the meals extension would be funded and the Government will 'make sure that schools have what they need to deliver this'. Asked why the expansion was not coming into force now, Ms Phillipson told BBC Breakfast: 'We're working as quickly as we can because we do appreciate the urgency, but we also need to work with schools to make this change happen.' Parents have to apply for their children to receive free school meals and eligible children are not automatically enrolled. The announcement has been largely welcomed by education leaders and campaigners, but some organisations have called for the Government to go further and introduce auto-enrolment. Arooj Shah, chairwoman of the Local Government Association's (LGA) children and young people board, said: 'Councils still face data sharing and resource challenges in ensuring as many eligible children as possible receive what they are entitled to. 'Introducing automatic enrolment, using existing government data to capture all those who are entitled to free school meals, would also streamline the process and ensure as many children as possible can benefit, at a time when many families are still under financial pressure.' Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders' union NAHT, said: 'No child should ever have to go hungry due to their parents' financial circumstances. 'Hunger affects not only children's health and wellbeing but also their readiness to learn, and the existing very low income cap for free school meals means many children living in poverty are ineligible. 'As well as this expansion to eligibility, we would also like the Government to introduce auto-enrolment so no child entitled to a free meal misses out.'
The Independent
5 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Charities welcome free school meals change but warn ‘more is needed'
Charities have welcomed the expansion of free school meals as a 'first step' towards easing child poverty, but urged the Government to axe the two-child benefit cap as economists warned the scope of the change would be limited. Campaigners and school leaders said the change, which will see all pupils in families that claim universal credit in England made eligible for the scheme, will relieve pressure on household budgets. But organisations including the NSPCC, the National Children's Bureau and Action for Children insisted the abolition of the two-child welfare rule was still needed. Meanwhile, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) warned the expansion would 'not see anything like 100,000 children lifted out of poverty next year' and that lifting the cap 'would have a lower cost per child lifted out of poverty.' The cap, which was introduced in 2017, restricts child tax credit and universal credit to two children in most households. Hundreds of thousands more pupils across the country will be able to access means-tested free school meals when the provision is extended from September 2026, the Department for Education (DfE) announced on Thursday. Currently, households in England on universal credit must earn below £7,400 a year (after tax and not including benefits) to qualify for free school meals. But the Government has announced that every pupil whose household is on universal credit will have a new entitlement to free school lunches from the start of the 2026/27 academic year. The move comes after campaigners and education leaders have called for free school meals to be extended to all children whose families are on universal credit to ease pressures on young people living in poverty. Nearly 2.1 million pupils – almost one in four of all pupils (24.6%) – in England were eligible for free school meals in January 2024. The DfE has said more than half a million more children are expected to benefit from a free meal every school day as a result of the expansion, and nearly £500 will be put back into parents' pockets every year. It suggested that the expansion will lift 100,000 children across England completely out of poverty. Chris Sherwood, chief executive of the NSPCC, said the move was a 'welcome step in the right direction' and 'a lifeline for many families who are struggling to survive in this cost-of-living crisis'. But he added: 'By removing the two-child limit, the government could lift over 350,000 children out of poverty, which, if coupled with an ambitious child poverty strategy later in the year, would help tackle the crisis children are facing.' Action for Children chief executive Paul Carberry said the changes would make a 'big difference' but 'by itself, it can't deliver the bold, ambitious reduction in child poverty that the Prime Minister has promised'. Sir Keir Starmer has indicated he is considering scrapping the two-child limit amid the prospect of a backbench rebellion over the policy, but has declined to give further details ahead of the publication of the Government's flagship child poverty strategy in the autumn. Mr Carberry said: 'This must set out a comprehensive and funded plan to fix our inadequate social security system, beginning with the abolition of the cruel two-child limit and benefit cap.' Anna Feuchtwang, chief executive of the National Children's Bureau, said the expansion should be a 'down payment' on further investment in addressing child poverty in the autumn. She said it was 'crucial' that the Government reconsiders its position on the two-child limit for the autumn. Anna Taylor, executive director of The Food Foundation, called it a 'landmark day for children'. She said: 'The expansion of free school meals is supported by the overwhelming majority of people in the UK – regardless of how they vote. 'We all know that feeding our children well, whatever their background is not rocket science, it is about priorities and today the government put children first.' The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said that in the long term, the change would mean free lunches for about 1.7 million additional children, but that in the short run, the announcement would benefit 'considerably fewer pupils'. Christine Farquharson, associate director at the think tank, said: 'Transitional protections introduced in 2018 have substantially increased the number of children receiving free school meals today – so in the short run, today's announcement will both cost considerably less (around £250 million a year) and benefit considerably fewer pupils (the government's estimate is 500,000 children). 'This also means that today's announcement will not see anything like 100,000 children lifted out of poverty next year.' She added: 'There is some evidence too that school meals can have benefits for children's health and attainment. 'But if the government's main interest is to reduce child poverty, there are other measures – such as lifting the two-child limit – that would have a lower cost per child lifted out of poverty.'
The Independent
5 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Hundreds of thousands more children to access means-tested free school meals
The government has announced a major expansion of the free school meals policy in England, set to begin at the start of the 2026 school year. Every child whose household is on universal credit will be entitled to free school meals, a change from the 2018 eligibility criteria of a household income less than £7,400 per year. The Department for Education claims the expansion will lift 100,000 Children across England out of poverty and put an extra £500 in parents' pockets. Campaigners and unions have welcomed the move, with the Child Poverty Action Group calling it a 'game-changer' and the National Education Union describing it as a 'necessary and overdue first step'. The announcement follows The Independent's Feed the Future campaign, which called for free school meals to be extended to all schoolchildren in England from households on universal credit.
