Former Labour leader Neil Kinnock has called on the government to scrap the two-child cap on benefits, warning that rising poverty levels in the UK 'would make Charles Dickens furious'. In an interview with the Sunday Mirror, Lord Kinnock also urged the introduction of a wealth tax on the top 1% to fund the change.
Lord Kinnock, who led Labour in opposition between 1983 and 1992, acknowledged the government may not be able to end the cap 'all at once' but pressed for action, noting that doing so could lift around 600,000 children out of poverty. 'I know it's the economics of Robin Hood, but I don't think there is anything terribly bad about that,' he said of the proposed wealth tax.
His comments follow similar pressure from former prime minister Gordon Brown, who recently described ending the two-child limit and the benefit cap as among the most effective ways to reduce child poverty. The cap was introduced by the Conservatives in 2017 and now affects nearly 1.7 million children in households across the country.
Government data released last month showed a further 37,000 children were affected by the limit in the year to April. In response, a government spokesperson stated that the child poverty taskforce would publish an 'ambitious strategy' later this year, focusing on reforming the social security system to help people into well-paid jobs.
Lord Kinnock criticised the legacy of 15 years of Conservative rule, during which child poverty gradually rose. 'The kids are voiceless and their parents feel powerless,' he said. 'I defy anybody to see a child in need and not want to help.'
