Ministers considering scrapping two-child benefit cap

Ministers are considering scrapping the two-child payment cap, the acquisition caput told Sky News.

Bridget Phillipson, asked by Wilfred Frost connected Sky News Breakfast if the headdress should beryllium lifted, said: "It's not disconnected the table.

"It's surely thing that we're considering."

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The argumentation means astir families cannot assertion means-tested benefits for much than their archetypal 2 children calved aft April 2017.

Ms Phillipson's comments came successful airy of investigation by The Resolution Foundation thinktank that recovered 470,000 children would beryllium lifted retired of poorness if parents could assertion benefits for much than 2 children.

However, she said the authorities inherited a "really hard situation" with nationalist finances from the Conservative government.

"These are not casual oregon straightforward choices successful presumption of however we stack it up, but we cognize the harm kid poorness causes," she added.

The acquisition secretary, who is besides caput of the government's kid poorness taskforce, said ministers are trying to assistance successful different ways, specified arsenic expanding funded childcare hours and opening escaped meal clubs.

She said it is "the motivation intent of Labour governments to guarantee that everyone, nary substance their background, tin get connected successful life".

Her "personal mission" is to tackle kid poverty, she said.

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Sir Keir Starmer is said to person privately backed abolishing the two-child bounds and requested the Treasury find the £3.5bn to bash so, The Observer reported connected Sunday.

The government's kid poorness strategy, which the taskforce is moving on, has been delayed from its archetypal work day successful the spring.

Whether to scrap the two-child payment headdress is 1 of the main issues it is looking at.