Child Benefit Claimants Panic as Keir Starmer Prepares to Announce Unfavorable New Policy

The Prime Minister is facing criticism for not saying clearly whether he will get rid of the two-child benefit limit. This rule means families can only receive financial help through Child Tax Credit or Universal Credit for their first two children. Any child after that isn’t counted in the support payments from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Several well-known charities are urging the Prime Minister to end this policy. They warn that if it continues, child poverty could rise to the worst levels ever recorded. Groups like Child Poverty Action Group, Citizens Advice, and Save the Children UK say the Prime Minister needs to show leadership and act now to help struggling families.

Labour leader Keir Starmer is also under pressure. Experts say 300,000 children are at risk of falling into what they call “deep poverty” because of the cap. But behind the scenes, people close to the Government say there are no plans to remove it. One source even said that if anyone still believes they’ll remove the cap, they’re “listening to the wrong people.” They also said the policy is still popular with many voters who think it’s fair.

The charities wrote in their letter that if the cap stays in place, child poverty in the UK will rise from 4.5 million children to 4.8 million by 2029, which would be the highest number ever seen. Some of the people who signed the letter had previously worked with the Government’s Child Poverty Taskforce, and they believe the policy is pushing more and more children into poverty every day.

They also pointed out that the cap is especially damaging for families where parents aren’t able to work, saying it has already pushed 300,000 children into very severe poverty.

The charities believe that the only way to make real progress is to put more money into family incomes through the benefits system. Without doing that, they say, the goal of helping families live better lives just isn’t possible. They also warn that Labour could end up being the first government in recent history to leave power with child poverty worse than when they started.

One source inside the Government made it clear: “We’re simply not going to find a way to remove the cap.”

Still, the charities say there’s a chance to make a real difference now. They believe that tackling child poverty could help the country grow in a strong and fair way. They’re asking the Prime Minister to show he’s serious about this issue and to lead a major effort to reduce poverty quickly.

They want him to invest directly in families, set bold goals, and explain to the public why fighting child poverty is so important to his plan for the country. While they praised some ministers for their efforts, they said this is a key moment as the Government finishes planning its next budget and gets ready to release its child poverty strategy. They say now is the time to act.