Not a good look for Jenrick.
Reform MP Robert Jenrick endured a humiliating interview on Sky News after he was confronted about his party’s policy on child poverty after he mistakenly voted to pull hundreds of thousands of kids out of poverty.
The Labour government has made lifting children out of poverty among its main missions, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves deciding to lift the two-child cap which was introduced by the Cameron government and which pushed hundreds of thousands of children into poverty.
The removal of the cap will benefit 560,000 families by an average of £5,310 per year and reduce child poverty by 450,000, according to the OBR.
The two-child benefit cap was introduced by Osborne as Conservative chancellor. It bars families from claiming the £292.81-a-month child element of universal credit for third and subsequent children born after April 6, 2017.
According to the Child Poverty Action Group, every day it remains in place, 109 more children are pulled into poverty by the policy.
While Labour MPs voted last week to scrap the cap, Reform have said they would reinstate the policy, having initially said they would lift it.
It’s little surprise then that some Reform MPs may have been a little confused about their party’s policies, with Jenrick and Suella Braverman both mocked last week after accidentally voting to scrap the two child cap.
Appearing on Sky News, Jenrick was asked by journalist Sophy Ridge, whether he had got confused about his new party’s policy.
Jenrick said: “I went into the wrong division lobby, and what happens is that the doors close and you don’t have an opportunity to leave. I didn’t swipe my cards, there’s also a kind of technical debate about whether I voted or not, but obviously is a mistake, I didn’t mean to do it.”
Ridge replied: “I can see why you’re confused. Because Reform was in favour of scrapping it, and then all of a sudden they weren’t in favor of scrapping it. So, I mean, did you get confused about Reform’s policy?”
Jenrick denied getting confused, adding: “Reform’s policy is clear” to which Ridge replied: “Yeah, I know you know it now, but at that moment, did you not know then what Reforms policy was?”
Not a good look for Jenrick.
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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