The Tory MP thinks scrapping a policy that has pushed hundreds of thousands of children into poverty is the 'wrong choice'
The shadow chancellor Mel Stride has said in an interview that he disagreed with Labour lifting the two-child limit on Universal Credit at the Budget yesterday.
Introduced in 2017 by the Tories, the policy affects 1.6 million children and has pushed hundreds of thousands of children into poverty through no fault of their own.
The limit prevents households from claiming the child benefit element of Universal Credit for a third child or any subsequent children.
The chancellor Rachel Reeves’ decision to scrap the limit in April 2026 is being widely welcomed by MPs, think tanks and children’s charities, as it will lift 450,000 children out of poverty by 2029, but Stride said it was the “wrong” choice.
Asked today if he agreed with the government’s decision to scrap the two-child limit, Stride told the BBC’s Naga Munchetty: “No I don’t, I think those are the wrong choices.”
The Tory shadow chancellor added: “When it comes to the size of the family that you decide you’re going to have, and if you want a large family, then those who are working hard, paying taxes and so on are having to take those really hard decisions as to whether they can afford a large family or not.
“I think it’s only fair that those who are on benefits face the same kind of decisions as those who are working hard, paying taxes and paying for those benefits.”
What Stride failed to acknowledge is that as of May 2025, 34% of people on Universal Credit were also in employment, and therefore “working hard and paying taxes”.
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
Left Foot Forward doesn't have the backing of big business or billionaires. We rely on the kind and generous support of ordinary people like you.
You can support hard-hitting journalism that holds the right to account, provides a forum for debate among progressives, and covers the stories the rest of the media ignore. Donate today.