Angela Rayner has expressed support for the elimination of the two-child benefit cap in order to combat child poverty. Drawing from her own upbringing, the former Deputy Leader of the Labour Party emphasized the importance of not penalizing children. Rayner debunked the notion that people have children solely for benefits, highlighting that the child benefit amounts to only £20 per week.
In an interview with the Sunday Mirror, Rayner applauded the recent signals from Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves indicating a plan to remove the two-child benefit cap in the upcoming statement on November 26. She stressed the urgency of addressing child poverty and the detrimental impact of the current benefit cap.
Rayner challenged the misconception that the child benefit encourages excessive childbearing by pointing out the financial hardships of raising children. She called on the government to prioritize evidence-based policies aligned with Labour values in tackling child poverty.
Notably, over 40 celebrities, including Arlene Phillips, Mark Bonnar, Jason Isaacs, and Bill Nighy, united to urge the government to abolish the two-child benefit limit in the Budget. In a letter organized by the Trussell foodbank charity, they emphasized the need to eliminate the limit to prevent more children from facing hardship.
The existing two-child benefit limit, implemented during the Tory era in 2017, restricts child tax credit and universal credit to the first two children in most households. Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently expressed personal determination to reduce the alarming rate of child poverty, which currently affects approximately 4.5 million children.