Phillipson told a fringe meeting that child poverty is a ‘moral scar’
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has reiterated at a fringe meeting at the Labour Party conference that scrapping the two-child benefit cap is ‘on the table’ and that she accepts the evidence that the policy is pushing children into poverty, in the clearest indication yet the policy could go.
Phillipson, who is hoping to become Labour’s next deputy leader, made the comments as she vowed to bring child poverty numbers down by the end of the current Parliament.
The two-child benefit cap was introduced by George Osborne as Conservative chancellor. It bars families from claiming the £292.81-a-month child element of universal credit for third and subsequent children born after April 6, 2017.
According to the Child Poverty Action Group, every day 109 more children are pulled into poverty by the policy. If the policy were scrapped, 350,000 children would be lifted from poverty instantly, at a cost of £2bn. The depth of poverty would be reduced for another 800,000 children.
The Child Poverty Taskforce is jointly led by Bridget Phillipson, the Secretary of State for Education, who has given the clearest sign yet that ministers could scrap the policy.
Phillipson told a fringe meeting on giving every child the best start in life, that child poverty is a ‘moral scar’ that damages us as all as a society and that it was ‘morally wrong kids are denied life chances they ought to have’.
She highlighted her role in ‘fighting tooth and nail’ to expand free school meals to 500,000 children, which will lift a hundred thousand children out of poverty.
The Secretary of State for Education went on to say that the ‘two child limit is on the table’ when it comes to scrapping the policy and accepted the evidence which ‘is there for all to see’ on its harmful impacts.
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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