DWP must scrap 'unfair' Universal Credit rule 'without delay'

The Conservative Party and Labor are being criticized for choosing to maintain the “two-child” restriction on Universal Credit claims. The Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) “two-child” benefit cap on Universal Credit payments should be “abolished without delay”, campaigners say.

Claire Atchia McMaster, director of revenue and external affairs at the charity Turn2Us, warned: “The harsh reality is laid bare by new research from the End Child Poverty Coalition: two thirds of constituencies see at least a quarter of their children drowning in poverty. , a situation exacerbated by the current two-child limit and benefit cap, revealed by new research from Loughborough University.

“Turn2us, as a member of the Coalition, calls on all political parties to abolish the two-child limit without delay. Beyond the heavy economic toll of child poverty – more than £39 billion each year – every day, children’s dreams are crushed under the weight of poverty.

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“The social security system must be based on compassion and informed by the real experiences of those it aims to support. The upcoming general election is a pivotal moment for change to deliver real, robust support to our struggling families and enable the UK’s children to thrive.”

A government spokesperson said: “There are 1.1 million fewer people living in absolute poverty than in 2010, including 100,000 children, and our cost of living support package of 108 billion pounds prevented 1.3 million people from falling into poverty in 2022/23.

“Children are five times less likely to experience poverty if they live in a household where all adults work, compared to those who live in households without work. That’s why we’ve reduced the number of children living in workless households by almost 700,000 and are rewarding hard work by raising the national living wage and cutting taxes, while our return to work plan, with expanded childcare support for parents will help more than a million people. find, stay and succeed in your job.

A Labor spokesperson said: “The number of children growing up in poverty in our country is a damning observation of the last 14 years of the Conservative government. The last Labor government lifted more than half a million children out of poverty and we are determined to build on that record. That is why we have committed to an ambitious new intergovernmental strategy to tackle child poverty.