Labour’s Zarah Sultana has explained perfectly why Labour needs to scrap the cap and also said that the party can fund the commitment, it’s ‘just a matter of political will’.
With today the last day of debate on the King’s speech, Labour leader Keir Starmer is facing a rebellion over his refusal to scrap the two-child benefit cap which is responsible for keeping hundreds of thousands of children in poverty.
The SNP has tabled an amendment to the King’s Speech calling for it to be axed, with a number of Labour MPs saying they would vote to scrap the cap, resulting in a headache for Starmer should Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle selects an amendment on the issue today.
Labour MP Kim Johnson has also put forward an amendment calling on the government to abolish the policy to lift an estimated 300,000 children out of poverty.
Politico reports: “As of last night 18 Labour MPs, including John McDonnell, Diane Abbott and Zarah Sultana, had signed their Liverpool Riverside colleague Kim Johnson’s amendment calling on the government to abolish the policy to lift an estimated 300,000 children out of poverty.
“Under normal parliamentary convention, that amendment is unlikely to be chosen, as it’s been put forward by MPs representing the party of government. But fear not, prime minister — the Liberal Democrats and the SNP are here and more than happy to help.”
Labour’s Zarah Sultana has explained perfectly why Labour needs to scrap the cap and also said that the party can fund the commitment, it’s ‘just a matter of political will’.
Sultana told Laura Kuenssberg’s show on Sunday that: “If the Labour Party has a moral mission, it has to be to eradicate poverty, especially child poverty.
“There are families experiencing unnecessary hardship. Rachel mentioned tough decisions we can fund this, if we look at different tax decisions where the wealthiest with the broadest shoulders pay for this.
“We are the sixth largest economy in the world and yet one of the most unequal in the developed world.”
Sultana went on to add: “We can uplift 300,000 kids instantly from poverty if we do this.
“This policy is the policy of the Labour Party’s 11 affiliated unions. It’s also the policy of the TUC, which speaks up for 6 million workers, so this is not a radical demand.
“In fact, if Rachel decided to put a 2% wealth tax on assets over £10 million, you can raise £24 billion a year, if you want to equalise capital gains with income rate thresholds, you can raise £16.7bn.
“So, when we say that there isn’t any money to fund this, we’re not looking in the right places.”
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