Prime Minister Keir Starmer has moved to define his government's core mission, unveiling a long-awaited strategy aimed at reducing child poverty by 550,000 by the end of the decade. The blueprint, published this week, seeks to answer persistent questions about Labour's purpose since its decisive election win in the summer of 2024.
A 'Moral Mission' to Define a Government
In an article for the Mirror, Starmer framed the fight against child poverty as Labour's "ultimate cause" and "moral mission." The announcement has provided at least temporary satisfaction to restless Labour MPs, who have been urging the Prime Minister to clearly articulate what his administration stands for.
One Labour MP welcomed the focus, stating: "That's what a Labour government should do, move children out of poverty. We did it under Gordon Brown, and we're lifting them out again after the Tories plummeted children into poverty." The sentiment underscores a desire within the party to reclaim a legacy of social justice.
The Divisive Two-Child Limit and Tory 'Benefits Street' Rhetoric
A central and controversial measure in the strategy is the scrapping of the two-child benefit limit, a Conservative-era policy. This decision has created a clear dividing line with the opposition, sparking immediate Conservative criticism.
Senior Tory Kemi Badenoch branded the move a policy for "Benefits Street," invoking the rhetoric of a decade ago. Labour's Homelessness Minister, Alison McGovern, hit back, accusing the Tory frontbench of seeking "to pour scorn on people they believed were beneath them." She argued that nothing has changed for the Conservatives since the era of George Osborne's "scroungers versus strivers" language.
Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, a frequent reference point for the current cabinet on poverty, has been a leading voice calling for the limit's abolition. He accused the Tories this week of "peddling lies" about the policy, noting that 60% of affected families are in work.
Labour's Resolve and the Lingering Questions
The confrontation is one Labour MPs appear ready to embrace. One MP bluntly criticised the Tory approach: "What gets me is these people don't care... they don't care about the fallout of that hate." Another framed investment in children as morally right and crucial for the nation's long-term economic health.
However, the strategy's reception among Labour MPs is tempered. While the plan is hailed as a welcome step, it has not fully quelled internal scrutiny. A significant point of contention is the lack of clearly defined, tangible targets for measuring progress on poverty reduction beyond the overall 550,000 figure.
One MP pointedly asked: "If this is the government's moral mission, why have they not set out clear tangible targets to alleviate child poverty?" Another acknowledged that scrapping the two-child limit had helped "fix" fractious relations with the Parliamentary Labour Party after earlier policy disputes, but warned of political danger on the horizon in the upcoming May elections.
The Labour plan, projected to achieve the biggest reduction in child poverty in a single parliament, stands in stark contrast to the record of the previous administration. Over 14 years in power, the Conservative government oversaw an increase of around 900,000 children living in poverty.
