Cliff Notes
- Labour may consider adjustments to the two-child benefit cap, potentially exempting specific families, as suggested by Harriet Harman.
- Sir Keir Starmer has avoided direct questions regarding the future of the cap, with mixed political opinions on its potential removal or modification.
- Suggestions include narrowing the cap’s application, possibly exempting families with disabled children or working households, to alleviate child poverty without significant budget impact.
A policy Labour never liked – but may not be able to scrap
Labour may announce tweaks to the two-child benefit cap so that it exempts certain families, Harriet Harman has suggested.
It follows ministers, including the prime minister, repeatedly refusing to rule out whether the government will scrap the policy altogether.
The cap means families are restricted so that they only receive benefits for their first two children in most households. It is meant to encourage families not to expand beyond their means and become reliant on welfare. But critics say the cap worsens child poverty by leaving the poorest families with a lack of support.
Sir Keir Starmer avoided answering Kemi Badenoch’s questions about whether he is in favour of removing or altering the cap at PMQs on Wednesday.
Baroness Harman has suggested the issue is “not binary” and that the government might tweak it instead of scrapping it or leaving it as it is.
Speaking on the Electoral Dysfunction podcast, Baroness Harman said: “Labour’s never liked this policy. It was a Tory Party policy.
“The question is whether Labour can afford to get rid of it. But actually, it’s not binary – ‘do Labour keep it or do they scrap it?'”