Labour politician Angela Rayner has voiced support for eliminating the two-child benefit cap in a bid to combat child poverty. Drawing from her own upbringing, Rayner emphasized the injustice of penalizing children for their circumstances. She debunked the notion that people have children solely for benefits, highlighting that the weekly benefit is a modest £20.
In an interview with the Sunday Mirror, Rayner praised the recent signals from Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves indicating the potential abandonment of the two-child benefit restriction in the upcoming November 26 announcement. She underscored the necessity of addressing child poverty, stressing the detrimental effects of the benefit cap.
Rayner refuted the underlying argument that the benefit cap encourages excessive childbearing, pointing out the financial challenges of raising children. She urged the government to consider the evidence and uphold Labour values in protecting vulnerable children.
Notably, over 40 celebrities, including Arlene Phillips, Mark Bonnar, Jason Isaacs, and Bill Nighy, united to advocate for scrapping the two-child benefit limit in the Budget. In a joint letter organized by the Trussell foodbank charity, they urged the Prime Minister to eliminate the limit, citing its impact on children facing hardship.
The two-child benefit cap, 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 expressed personal determination to reduce the alarming child poverty rates, which currently affect 4.5 million children.