Farage’s conditional pledge to remove child benefit cap ‘would plunge 450,000 into poverty’
Nigel Farage’s child benefit policy would push at least 450,000 children back into poverty if Reform UK comes to power, new official analysis suggests.
Mr Farage made headlines when he announced he would scrap the two-child benefit cap, months before Labor decided to do so in last month’s Budget.
But the Reform UK leader later clarified that this was only for “working Brits, i.e. a couple who both work 37.5 hours a week”.
New Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) analysis shows that of the 470,000 households affected by the two-child limit (those receiving Universal Credit, with three or more children, the third of whom was born after 6 April 2017), only 3,700 (less than 0.8 per cent of the total) have two adults working full-time.
This means the cap will be reintroduced to apply to the vast majority of them.
Charities have warned that it means there is little difference between Reformation’s policy and Tory plans to fully restore the two-child benefit; Kemi Badenoch claimed scrapping £3.5bn was “unaffordable” and the Budget was “for welfare benefits”.
At a time when Labor and the Reform Party are battling for votes from working-class communities, Labor leader Anna Turley MP warned: “Nigel Farage may boast that he is on the side of low-paid workers, but his bogus two-child cap policy does little to help any of the people he pretends to care about and lifts almost no children out of poverty.
“And the Conservative Party have pushed 900,000 children into poverty during their time in office, and they are clearly determined to increase child poverty again.”
But a Reform UK spokesman hit back, saying: “Labour’s Budget robbed Britain of the alarm clock to pay for Benefits Britain. Their blanket removal of the two-child limit proves that this government lacks the courage to tackle the out-of-control benefits bill and support working British families, choosing instead to reward those on benefits.”
“The reform will reintroduce the two-child limit outside British families where both parents work full-time, saving hard-working British taxpayers £2.7bn a year over the next 5 years and encouraging more people to work.”
But charities have warned about the impact of Reformation policy on child poverty in the UK.
Peter Matejic, chief analyst at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said: “Abolishing the two-child limit altogether is the best decision when it comes to poverty and is a necessary part of any credible child poverty strategy.
“Removing it is the most cost-effective way to reduce child poverty; it will reduce demand for public services in the medium term and improve health and education outcomes for children who will reach the limit by the end of the decade.
“Reform and Conservative Party plans mean leaving nearly half a million children in poverty.”
Dan Paskins, chief executive of UK Impact, said: “It has been clear over the years that removing the two-child cap altogether is the most cost-effective way to lift significant numbers of children out of poverty. We are pleased that the UK Government has announced the end of the cap in the budget, and in their assessment this has lifted 450,000 children out of poverty. But by scrapping the policy altogether we can be closer to helping children get the start to the life they deserve.”
Turn2us Policy Manager Meagan Levin added: “Reintroducing the two-child limit would put families in serious hardship. The Child Poverty Strategy was clear that this was the most effective policy to reduce child poverty.”
“The suggestions put forward by these [Reform and the Conservatives] Reintroducing the border or keeping it in any conditional form would be a major step backwards, leaving hundreds of thousands of children again in serious hardship. Children should not be punished for their family’s circumstances, especially in difficult times and when so many people are juggling insecure work, caring responsibilities, health problems or disability.”
