Minister warns of ‘stain on society’ as figures show 1.6m children affected by two-child benefit cap – UK politics live | Politics

Wendy Chamberlain, the Liberal Democrats work and pensions spokesperson, has described the two-child benefit cap as “cruel and counter-productive”, and said her party would continue to campaign to have it scrapped.

The MP for North East Fife said:

The Conservative government trapped hundreds of thousands of children in poverty with their cruel and counter-productive two-child limit.

The Liberal Democrats will keep campaigning to scrap it, which would be the quickest and most cost-effective way to lift children out of poverty with huge long-term benefits for our society and our economy.

Labour has said it wants to tackle child poverty in government, but has refused to abolish the cap.

The Child Poverty Action Group report into the two-child benefit cap is called Things Can Only Get Worse, and can be downloaded here.

They list these as the key points included:

• Seven years after the introduction of the two-child limit, there are almost 1.6 million children in 440,000 families affected by the policy. These families are missing out on up to £3,455 a year per child

• The majority of families affected by the policy are living in poverty, despite 59 per cent of these families having one or both parents in paid work

• Affected families report not being able to provide for children’s basic needs, including food, clothing and heating. The policy also means families struggle to pay for housing and childcare

• The policy affects every area of children’s lives. Parents report that children’s education, mental health, and learning and development are all negatively affected by the two-child limit. Children are also missing out on the “every day” experiences of childhood such as days out with their family, being able to go on holiday, or having the occasional treat such as an ice-cream

• Abolishing the two-child limit is the most cost-effective way to reduce child poverty, and the most urgent action the government must take to reduce child poverty. It would lift 300,000 children out of poverty and mean 700,000 children are in less deep poverty, making a significant difference to the lives of over a million children at a cost of £1.7bn

PA Media reports that Rev Martyn Snow, Bishop of Leicester, said: “The testimonies in this report remind us that the two-child limit continues to affect the wellbeing and life chances of too many children and families in this country. Abolishing this unfair policy is essential if we are to turn the tide on poverty and ensure that every child is supported to flourish in all areas of life.”

Chief Executive of Child Poverty Action Group Alison Garnham is quoted as saying: “Children are losing their life chances to the two-child limit now. They can’t wait for the new Government to align every star before the policy is scrapped. Keir Starmer came to office pledging a bold, ambitious child poverty-reduction plan and there’s no way to deliver on that promise without scrapping the two-child limit, and fast.”

More than one and a half million children across the UK are affected by the two-child limit on benefits, figures show as the new Work and Pensions Secretary branded child poverty a “stain on our society”. It is not Labour policy to abolish the cap.

Liz Kendall, appointed to the role last week, said:

Too many children are growing up in poverty and this is a stain on our society. We will work to give every child the best start in life by delivering our manifesto commitment to implement an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty. I will hold critical meetings with charities and experts next week to get this urgent work under way.

The figures come as the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) said its survey of 560 families hit by the policy reveals “the deep suffering and deprivation it’s causing”.

Almost all of them (93%) said the policy had affected their ability to pay for food, while 82% said it meant they struggle to cover gas or electricity bills. Almost half (45%) of respondents said they struggled to pay their rent or mortgage because of the policy while (46%) told of struggles to manage childcare costs.

The Resolution Foundation has calculated that abolishing the two-child limit would cost the Government somewhere between £2.5bn and £3.6bn but said it would be one of the most efficient ways to drive down child poverty rates”, estimating that if abolished it could lift 490,000 children out of poverty.

PA Media reports figures published on Thursday by the Department for Work and Pensions showed there were 1.6 million children living in households affected by the policy as of April this year, up from 1.5 million to April 2023.

Of these, 52% of children were in households with three children, 29% in households with four children, and 19% are in households with five or more children.

Before becoming prime minister, Keir Starmer said he would ditch the two-child limit “in an ideal world” but added that “we haven’t got the resources to do it at the moment”.

Here is a little bit more from health secretary Wes Streeting about plans for an independent investigation into the performance of the NHS, which is to be led by former health minister Lord Ara Darzi.

Streeting stressed that Darzi has “more than 30 years’ experience in the NHS and is perfectly placed to conduct this important work” and has been asked to tell “hard truths”.

Streeting wrote:

The NHS and my department have been instructed to hand him whatever information he needs.

It is going to take time to turn the NHS around – we were honest about that before the election. Sticking-plasters will not be enough to heal it. It will require fundamental reform.

We have pledged a ten-year plan to make the NHS fit for the future, which we will be consulting patients, experts and staff on soon.

The NHS has been wrecked. This investigation will be the survey, before we draw up plans to rebuild it anew, so it can be there for all of us when we need it, once again.

Scotland’s deputy first minister Kate Forbes appeared on BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme earlier, and said it was “early days” for the SNP to draw conclusions from its performance in the general election, but some things were “obvious”.

The party lost 38 seats and its position as third largest party in the House of Commons, returning just 9 SNP MPs to Westminster.

Forbes told listeners:

It is early days, but I think there’s a few things that are quite obvious. The first is that this was an election for change, and therefore it’s incumbent on us to look at how we need to change as well.

Secondly, this was around regaining and earning, again, the trust of the Scottish people. So we need to look at why and how we didn’t inspire the number of voters to vote for us as we might have liked.

I do think it’s a change in ensuring our policy agenda matches the public’s priorities.

I think it’s allowing John Swinney – who was only in post two weeks before the election was called, I think I was in post ten days before it was called – allowing him to set out and deliver on his agenda of tackling poverty, of economic growth, of ensuring our public services are robust and resilient.

And then perhaps the third one is, I’m a democrat and the secret ballot never lies, and therefore we need to take on board the message that the public have sent us in preparation for 2026.

The SNP leader in Westminster, Stephen Flynn, made a joking reference to the number of seats the party lost when the Commons sat on Tuesday to elect the speaker, saying “I wish to begin by welcoming all new members to the Chamber, in particular those from Scottish constituencies. There are probably a few more new members from Scottish constituencies than I would have liked.”

An independent investigation will be held into the performance of the NHS, health secretary Wes Streeting has announced in an article in the Sun.

He wrote:

It’s clear to anyone who works in or uses the NHS that it is broken. Unlike the last government, we are not looking for excuses. I am certainly not going to blame NHS staff, who bust a gut for their patients.

This government is going to be honest about the challenges facing us, and serious about solving them.

Honesty is the best policy, and this report will provide patients, staff and myself with a full and frank assessment of the state of the NHS, warts and all.

Streeting said the investigation would be led by the former health minister Lord Ara Darzi, who served under Gordon Brown between 2007 and 2009.

Health is devolved. It was unclear from Streeting’s article in the Sun whether he was only referring to England, or whether it was to be an over-arching review that would take into account health outcomes and spending in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.