Starmer says government ‘will look at’ scrapping two-child benefits limit
Sir Keir Starmer has said his government “will look at” scrapping the two-child benefits limit.
In his strongest hint yet that he will perform a U-turn – when asked if he would scrap the two-child benefit cap, Sir Keir said: “We’ll look at all options of driving down child poverty.”
The cap means families can only claim child tax credit and universal credit for their first two children, if they were born after April 2017.
It was introduced in 2017 by the Conservative government, and in 2023, Sir Keir ruled out scrapping it.
However, as Labour came to power last year, he said the party wanted to remove the cap but only when fiscal conditions allowed.
But he then doubled down on refusing to lift it, suspending seven Labour MPs shortly after the election victory for voting with the SNP to remove the cap.
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Winter fuel payment cuts to be reversed
Ministers had toed the party line for months, but the narrative started to shift in May, with Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson telling Sky News on Tuesday lifting the cap is “not off the table” – and “it’s certainly something that we’re considering”.
Sir Keir was also reported to have asked the Treasury to see how scrapping it could be funded.
His words on Thursday are his strongest indication yet, that he could lift the cap soon.
Read more:
What is the two-child benefit cap and will Labour scrap it?
Starmer confirms U-turn of unpopular winter fuel policy
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Winter fuel payment cuts to be reversed
It would mean a second benefits U-turn after he made a shock announcement last week that he was going to relax the winter fuel payment cut.
The policy, announced soon after Labour won the election, has caused anger among Sir Keir’s own MPs as it restricted the previously universal payment to those who receive pension credit.
It will now be available to “more pensioners”, but details of who and when have not been revealed.
Nigel Farage has successfully exploited the Commons recess to “grab the mic” and “dominate” the agenda, Harriet Harman has said.
Speaking on Sky News’ Electoral Dysfunction podcast, the Labour peer said that the Reform UK leader has been able to “get his voice heard” while government was not in “full swing”.
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Mr Farage used a speech this week to set himself, rather than Kemi Badenoch’s Tories, up as the main opposition to Sir Keir Starmer at the next election.
The prime minister responded on Thursday with a speech attacking the Clacton MP.
Baroness Harman said: “It’s slightly different between opposition and government because in government, the ministers have to be there the whole time.
“They’ve got to be putting legislation through and they kind of hold the mic.
“They can dominate the news media with the announcements they’re making and with the bills they’re introducing, and it’s quite hard for the opposition to get a hearing whilst the government is in full swing.
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‘Big cuts’ to fund other Reform UK policies
“What we used to do when we were in opposition before 1997 is that as soon as there was a bank holiday and the House was not sitting, as soon as the half-term or the summer recess, we would be on an absolute war footing and dominate the airwaves because that was our opportunity.
“And I think that’s a bit of what Farage has done this week,” Harman added.
“Basically, Farage can dominate the media agenda.”
She went on: “He’s kind of stepped forward, and he’s using this moment of the House not sitting in order to actually get his voice heard.
“It’s sensible for the opposition to take the opportunity of when the House is not sitting to kind of grab the mic and that is what Nigel Farage has done.”
But Baroness Harman said it “doesn’t seem to be what Kemi Badenoch’s doing”.
She explained that the embattled leader “doesn’t seem to be grabbing the mic like Nigel Farage has” during recess, and added that “there’s greater opportunity for the opposition”.
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