Government will 'consider' scrapping controversial two-child benefit cap, minister says

The cap was introduced by then-Conservative chancellor George Osborne in 2015 and restricts child welfare payments to the first two children born to most families, as ITV News Political Reporter Jasmine Cameron-Chileshe reports

The government will consider scrapping the controversial two-child benefit cap, a cabinet minister has said amid growing pressure for the measure to be dropped.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said scrapping the cap would be looked at “as one of a number of ways” to lift children out of poverty, signalling a softening of the government's previous position and paving the way for a potential U-turn.

It comes as Sir Keir Starmer could face the threat of his first backbench revolt over the benefit cap that affects some 1.6 million children.

The PM has been urged by charities, opposition parties and some of his own MPs to abolish the limit, as child poverty rates rise.

The SNP has tabled an amendment to the King’s Speech calling for the cap to be axed and left-wing Labour MPs are expected to weigh in further to a debate, which could happen on Monday afternoon.

Ms Phillipson said the possible scrapping of the limit would be looked at by a new taskforce she is leading with Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall as part of a review of potential policies to reduce child poverty.

Speaking to ITV News, she said the government "will look at all the levers" causing child poverty.

In an interview with Sky News, Ms Phillipson went further on: “Unfortunately, it’s also a very expensive measure, but we will need to consider it as one of a number of levers in terms of how we make sure we lift children out of poverty."

In a speech at the Farnborough International Airshow, Starmer was asked about the pressure to scrap the two-child limit, saying "it's good we're having a debate about it."

The PM said "I'm not surprised there's a real passion about this in the Labour Party."

The prime minister's spokesman said "nothing is out of scope" of the new taskforce, but insisted there was no change in position on the cap.

Ministers have so far suggested the state of the public finances means they cannot afford to abolish the benefit limit unless economic growth is secured first.

The cap was introduced by then-Conservative chancellor George Osborne in 2015 and restricts child welfare payments to the first two children born to most families.

SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn urged Scottish Labour MPs to back the party’s amendment to remove the cap, which could be debated on Monday.

It's understood to have the support of former Labour leader and now Independent MP Jeremy Corbyn as well as the Green and Plaid Cymru MPs.

Whether the amendment is ultimately voted on is up to Commons Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle.

Mr Flynn said ahead of the debate: “The two-child cap was the Tories operating at their worst, so scrapping the cap would deliver on the promise made to the public for real change.”

The debate comes after Labour MP Rosie Duffield said in a Sunday newspaper the two-child benefit cap amounts to “social cleansing” and is an “anti-feminist and unequal piece of legislation”.

“It legislates against women’s autonomy over their own bodies, the exact opposite of anything that could possibly be described as a Labour Party value,” she wrote in an article for The Sunday Times.

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