Charities and Labour Pressure Group Urge Keir Starmer to Scrap Two-Child Limit on Benefits

Strategic Insights -

Charities and a Labour-aligned pressure group are intensifying calls for Keir Starmer to scrap the two-child limit on benefits, citing polling that shows high levels of support among Labour voters for tackling child poverty. A survey commissioned by a coalition of charities, including Save the Children, the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG), the Children's Society, and Barnardo's, suggests that almost three-quarters of those polled (73%) believe that all children deserve a good childhood, even if it costs the government more to support families that need it. The survey also found that 71% of respondents agreed that children should be a priority for government investment.

Key Takeaways:

  • A UK-wide polling of 2,008 adults found that 73% agreed that all children deserve a good childhood, even if it costs the government more to support families that need it.
  • 71% of respondents agreed that children should be a priority for government investment.
  • Charities and thinktanks have agreed that scrapping the two-child limit is the most targeted and cost-effective way of tackling child poverty.
  • The government's current child poverty taskforce is working on an action plan, but so far, there has been no commitment to scrap the two-child limit.
  • Labour MP Simon Opher has called for the two-child limit to be immediately lifted, stating that "nothing is more important" than tackling child poverty.
  • A report by Baroness Ruth Lister argues that the two-child limit must be lifted and the benefit cap abolished to tackle child poverty.
  • The polling also found that 76% of Labour voters considering a switch to Reform agreed that "low benefit levels for families with children means children have unequal opportunities", a figure that is exactly the same as among committed Labour voters.

Statistics:

  • 73% of those polled agreed that all children deserve a good childhood, even if it costs the government more to support families that need it.
  • 71% of respondents agreed that children should be a priority for government investment.
  • 76% of Labour voters considering a switch to Reform agreed that "low benefit levels for families with children means children have unequal opportunities".
  • 82% of Labour voters considering a switch to Reform agreed that "the gap between the poorest and richest families in the UK is too large".
  • 4.5 million children are living in poverty in the UK, according to official figures this spring.

Sources:

  • A report by Baroness Ruth Lister, "Challenging child poverty in the UK: towards an evidence-based poverty strategy", published by Compass.
  • A survey commissioned by a coalition of charities, including Save the Children, the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG), the Children's Society, and Barnardo's.
  • Official figures from the UK government, published this spring.