Ending the two-child benefit cap would lift 250,000 children out of poverty, and lessen the effects of poverty on a further 850,000, according to the Child Poverty Action Group.
Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has slammed the two-child benefit cap for being unfair and set out how much of a disastrous impact it is having on low-income families up and down the country.
Speaking to ITV’s Peston programme, Brown said that the two-child rule was ‘iniquitous’. The two-child benefit cap prevents parents from claiming child tax credit or universal credit for any third or subsequent child born after April 2017. It was introduced by the former chancellor George Osborne in his austerity drive with the aim of encouraging parents of larger families to find a job or work more hours.
Charities and anti-poverty campaigners have over the years highlighted how the cruel and unfair policy has pushed thousands of children into poverty. Ending the two-child benefit cap would lift 250,000 children out of poverty, and lessen the effects of poverty on a further 850,000, according to the Child Poverty Action Group.
Brown perfectly summed up on Peston just why the policy is so unfair and said that Labour’s pledge to review Universal Credit could alleviate the disastrous consequences of the policy.
He said: “The two-child rule is indeed iniquitous, because the majority of 3 children families are now in poverty, and that’s a terrible indictment on our country. More than 75% of families with 4 children are now in poverty and this figure will rise as the two-child rule bites for future children being born.
“The Labour Party has promised a root and branch review of Universal Credit and I think that it’s the right way of doing this because there are many other aspects of universal credit that impinge upon this, so I’m happy that they have decided that there will be this important review of Universal Credit.”
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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