A cross-party commission, including former welfare ministers, is calling on the government to abolish the two-child benefit limit as part of a sweeping plan to lift millions out of poverty. The Poverty Strategy Commission's report, due on Thursday, proposes a 'once in a generation' overhaul of the social security system, including a boost to universal credit and the removal of the cap, which denies £3,500 a year to third and subsequent children born since 2017.
The commission estimates its proposals would lift 4.2 million people out of poverty, including 2.2 million in 'deep poverty'—household income at least 50% below the poverty line. Key Labour figures, including welfare minister Sir Stephen Timms and energy minister Miatta Fahnbulleh, were commission members before joining the government. The report criticises the government's abandoned plans to cut £5bn from disability benefits, which it says would have pushed 250,000 disabled people into poverty.
The government has resisted scrapping the two-child limit on cost grounds, estimated at £3bn a year, despite opposition from Labour backbenchers and campaigners. The commission argues that fiscal constraints are not an excuse, and investment in poverty reduction would drive economic growth. Helen Barnard of Trussell said: 'We are seeing more people trapped in severe and sustained poverty, turning to food banks because they have nowhere else to go.'
A government spokesperson said: 'This government is determined to drive down poverty and ensure work pays. We will set out our plans in due course.' The commission's proposals also include investment in housing and childcare, aiming for a 'never-before-seen reduction in poverty'.
