Charities warn PM on two-child limit

Leading charities and organisations representing children and low-income families have written to the Prime Minister urging him to direct his personal leadership and the full weight of government into reducing child poverty. They warn that if the two-child limit is not scrapped in government’s forthcoming child poverty strategy, child poverty will be significantly higher at the end of this parliament than when the government took office – the first time a Labour government would have left such a legacy -  and the number of children in poverty at its highest since records began.

The signatories, some of whom have supported the work of the government’s Child Poverty Taskforce, include Child Poverty Action Group, Citizens Advice,  Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Save the Children UK, Barnardo’s, Trussell, The Children’s Society and Action for Children.  They write:

Ensuring that fewer children are in poverty at the end of this parliamentary term than at the start will require a direct investment in family incomes via the social security system. As the bare minimum, this must start with scrapping the two-child limit and the benefit cap. The two-child limit pushes more and more children into poverty every day and will act as a brake on any other action taken by government to reduce poverty. The benefit cap pushes 300,000 children into deep poverty at a time when their parent’s capacity to work is limited. Neither policy is compatible with the ambition to raise living standards.  

The upcoming child poverty strategy could transform the daily lives and life chances of children across the country, the signatories say, and in addition

…an ambitious and properly resourced strategy will also be central to supporting your government’s aims to break down barriers to opportunity, raise living standards and improve school readiness. There can be no road to sustainable national growth unless child poverty reduces at scale and at pace. 

The charities ask the PM to show personal commitment and leadership to ensure his government doesn’t leave a legacy of even more children living in poverty than when he entered office:

We look to your personal leadership to deliver this change and to direct the full weight of your government into reducing child poverty with urgency, with investment in family incomes, ambitious targets, and with a public narrative about why it matters so much to your vision for the country.

The letter says the strategy must include poverty-reduction targets and cites Child Poverty Action Group analysis showing the number of children in poverty will jump from 4.5 million (currently) to 4.8 million by 2029 unless urgent action is taken.

We have seen strong leadership from the Secretaries of State for Work and Pensions and Education, and thorough engagement from the Child Poverty Unit.

 

As we approach the conclusion of the spending review and the publication of the child poverty strategy, the opportunity to deliver the real change that children, families and the country needs must now be taken.  

Notes to editors:

The full text of the letter is below.

Interviews with charity spokespeople can be arranged through Child Poverty Action Group’s press officer Jane Ahrends on 07816 909302.   Parents affected by the two-child limit may also be available for interview.

The two-child limit denies child allowances in universal credit to third or subsequent children born after April 2017.   Currently 1.6 million UK children are affected by the policy.

The benefit cap restricts the total amount of benefits a household can receive. 

Child Poverty Action Group media contact: Jane Ahrends 07816 909302

Letter to Prime Minister:

Dear Prime Minister,  

As parliament returns from recess, we are writing to welcome your ongoing personal commitment to reducing child poverty – made clear at the recent Liaison Committee hearing – and to share our high expectations for the forthcoming child poverty strategy. 

Our respective organisations work with and represent children and families across the UK. We know that the strategy has the potential to make a crucial difference to the daily lives and life chances of children up and down the country. As you know, an ambitious and properly resourced strategy will also be central to supporting your government’s aims to break down barriers to opportunity, raise living standards and improve school readiness. There can be no road to sustainable national growth unless child poverty reduces at scale and at pace. 

4.5 million children in the UK currently live in poverty. CPAG analysis shows that this will reach 4.8 million by 2029 unless urgent action is taken. The task of reducing child poverty will be made even harder by planned cuts to disability benefits. 

Ensuring that fewer children are in poverty at the end of this parliamentary term than at the start will require a direct investment in family incomes via the social security system. As the bare minimum, this must start with scrapping the two-child limit and the benefit cap. The two-child limit pushes more and more children into poverty every day and will act as a brake on any other action taken by government to reduce poverty. The benefit cap pushes 300,000 children into deep poverty at a time when their parent’s capacity to work is limited. Neither policy is compatible with the ambition to raise living standards. 

Scrapping the two-child limit is by far the most cost-effective way to reduce child poverty. It would lift 350,000 children out of poverty overnight and result in 700,000 children living in less deep poverty. If it is not scrapped, the stark reality is that child poverty will be significantly higher at the end of this parliament than when the government took office making this the first time a Labour government would leave such a legacy, and the number of children living in poverty will be at its highest since records began. 

The strategy will also need to set targets to reduce child poverty over the next 10-20 years, laying the foundations for further policy interventions to tackle child poverty across different parts of government, and helping to maintain focus throughout this parliament and beyond.  

We have seen strong leadership from the Secretaries of State for Work and Pensions and Education, and thorough engagement from the Child Poverty Unit. As we approach the conclusion of the spending review and the publication of the child poverty strategy, the opportunity to deliver the real change that children, families and the country needs must now be taken.  

We look to your personal leadership to deliver this change and to direct the full weight of your government into reducing child poverty with urgency, with investment in family incomes, ambitious targets, and with a public narrative about why it matters so much to your vision for the country. We stand ready to support you in making this vision a reality.  

Paul Carberry, Chief Executive of Action for Children 

Anna Feuchtwang, CEO of National Children's Bureau 

Alison Garnham, Chief Executive of Child Poverty Action Group 

Joseph Howes, CEO of Buttle UK and Chair of the End Child Poverty Coalition 

Paul Kissack, Chief Executive, JRF 

Baroness Anne Longfield, Executive Chair and Founder of Centre for Young Lives 

Moazzam Malik, CEO of Save the Children UK 

Dame Clare Moriarty, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice 

Lisa Pearce, Interim Chief Executive Officer of Gingerbread 

Lynn Perry MBE, CEO of Barnardo’s 

Emma Revie, CEO of Trussell 

Mark Russell, Chief Executive of The Children's Society 

Kate Bell, Assistant General Secretary, TUC