Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer makes the case for scrapping the two child benefit cap, rent controls, and council house building

Poverty is a political choice. We live in one of the world’s richest countries, but the Conservatives spent fourteen years in government blaming the victims of spiralling inequality as though it was their own lifestyle choices responsible for the unfair global economic system.

From that prejudice, the Conservatives implemented many policies that threw hundreds of thousands, if not millions, deeper into hardship. But today is a brighter day, and there is an opportunity for this new Labour government to make a clean break from the failed Conservative doctrine that has harmed so many.

Green MPs are calling on Labour to do the right thing, the obvious thing. Together, we can choose to eradicate poverty in the UK through the course of this Parliament. 

The reality of poverty in this country is stark. The Government estimates that 4.3 million children are living in poverty in the UK. That’s almost a third of kids. But what’s worse, more than half of those kids have at least one parent in work. It demands urgent action from this new Labour government – so it is deeply regrettable that so little is planned to deal with poverty during Labour’s first year running the country. 

The King’s Speech on Wednesday set out a number of positive plans that our four Green MPs welcomed. But there was a chilling silence when it came to fixing the poverty and inequality that rots the core of our society. Charities such as Save the Children had called for a new Child Poverty Act and concrete plans to raise the living standards of the poorest kids. It’s truly saddening that nothing has been proposed, not even reversing the very worst poverty-inducing policies of the Conservative government. 

Our four Green MPs demand better. 

This has to begin with scrapping the cruel two child benefit cap for Universal Credit, which penalises kids and families simply based on how many children they have. It’s estimated that almost three million children will soon be in poverty because of this policy – and it’s entirely within Labour’s gift to fix this. It looks like this could spark the government’s first backbench rebellion, with a number of Labour MPs already speaking out against this injustice. Our four Green MPs will stand shoulder to shoulder with any Labour rebels in the voting lobbies. 

Green MPs are also pressing the government to get a grip on the out of control private rented sector. Rents are spiralling while standards are falling. I was glad to see the government commit to new laws for secure tenancies and an end to “no fault evictions”. As Greens, we see housing as a necessity – a human right – not an investment vehicle. Every family needs a roof over their head, and no one should be at risk of homelessness simply because their landlord chooses.

But Greens will be pushing Labour to go further than this. Our four Green MPs are demanding that the government gives local councils the power to introduce rent controls where needed, in overheated housing markets such as Bristol. Almost one third of people in Bristol live in private rented homes, and rents have become increasingly unaffordable. In the last decade, rents in Bristol increased by over 50% while wages haven’t even increased by a quarter. The market is broken and it needs the government to put measures in place to protect renters from paying more and more of their pay-check just to keep a roof over their heads. 

A national programme of council house building must also be part of the solution to this housing crisis. The private sector simply cannot be relied on to deliver the number of homes needed – they are already sitting on over one million planning approvals for new homes that simply aren’t being built. Our Green Party manifesto set out plans for 150,000 new council homes per year by the end of this parliament, each of which would be available at truly affordable rents and with low bills because of their high eco standards. These new homes will transform the lives of millions of kids in poverty, guaranteeing them fair rents and a stable tenancy for as long as they choose. 

These are practical policies that can all be started and in some cases delivered within the first year of this new Government. Our four Green MPs will push this Labour government to be bolder, while standing with them against the inevitable backlash from the Conservatives and right-wing media. We hope to strike a balance by acting as constructive opposition for the Labour government, working positively for the benefit of our communities, our country, and our planet. 

Carla Denyer is co-leader of the Green Party of England and Wales and the MP for Bristol Central

Image credit: Kirsty O’Connor / Number 10 – Creative Commons

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