More than one and a half million children across the UK are affected by the two-child limit on benefits, figures show as the new Work and Pensions Secretary branded child poverty a “stain on our society”. Liz Kendall, appointed to the role last week, said, “Too many children are growing up in poverty and this is a stain on our society. We will work to give every child the best start in life by delivering our manifesto commitment to implement an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty. I will hold critical meetings with charities and experts next week to get this urgent work under way.” The figures come as the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) said its survey of 560 families hit by the policy reveals “the deep suffering and deprivation it’s causing”. Almost all of them (93%) said the policy had affected their ability to pay for food, while 82% said it meant they struggle to cover gas or electricity bills. Almost half (45%) of respondents said they struggled to pay their rent or mortgage because of the policy while (46%) told of struggles to manage childcare costs. The Resolution Foundation has calculated that abolishing the two-child limit would cost the Government somewhere between £2.5bn and £3.6bn but said it would be one of the most efficient ways to drive down child poverty rates”, estimating that if abolished it could lift 490,000 children out of poverty. PA Media reports figures published on Thursday by the Department for Work and Pensions showed there were 1.6 million children living in households affected by the policy as of April this year, up from 1.5 million to April 2023. Of these, 52% of children were in households with three children, 29% in households with four children, and 19% are in households with five or more children. Before becoming prime minister, Keir Starmer said he would ditch the two-child limit “in an ideal world” but added that “we haven’t got the resources to do it at the moment”.
Minister warns of ‘stain on society’ as figures show 1.6m children affected by two-child benefit cap – UK politics live | Politics
Kendall: child poverty ‘stain on society’ as figures reveal 1.6m children across UK affected by the two-child limit on benefits
More than one and a half million children across the UK are affected by the two-child limit on benefits, figures show as the new Work and Pensions Secretary branded child poverty a “stain on our society”. It is not Labour policy to abolish the cap.
Liz Kendall, appointed to the role last week, said:
Too many children are growing up in poverty and this is a stain on our society. We will work to give every child the best start in life by delivering our manifesto commitment to implement an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty. I will hold critical meetings with charities and experts next week to get this urgent work under way.
The figures come as the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) said its survey of 560 families hit by the policy reveals “the deep suffering and deprivation it’s causing”.
Almost all of them (93%) said the policy had affected their ability to pay for food, while 82% said it meant they struggle to cover gas or electricity bills. Almost half (45%) of respondents said they struggled to pay their rent or mortgage because of the policy while (46%) told of struggles to manage childcare costs.
The Resolution Foundation has calculated that abolishing the two-child limit would cost the Government somewhere between £2.5bn and £3.6bn but said it would be one of the most efficient ways to drive down child poverty rates”, estimating that if abolished it could lift 490,000 children out of poverty.
PA Media reports figures published on Thursday by the Department for Work and Pensions showed there were 1.6 million children living in households affected by the policy as of April this year, up from 1.5 million to April 2023.
Of these, 52% of children were in households with three children, 29% in households with four children, and 19% are in households with five or more children.
Before becoming prime minister, Keir Starmer said he would ditch the two-child limit “in an ideal world” but added that “we haven’t got the resources to do it at the moment”.
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Updated at 10.59 BST
Key events
James Cleverly, shadow home secretary, hasn’t made it clear yet whether he will or won’t run to be leader of the party, but he does appear to have just made a bid for the nerd vote among the party membership, with a social media message revealing his interest in Warhammer 40,000
More on point for his day job, he has also been posting about migration, saying:
As home secretary, I changed the rules to deliver the largest ever cut to migration. Today, we’ve seen those changes deliver another fall in visa applications, down 48% compared to June last year. We were on the right path, but we can’t let Labour squander our progress.
So far, they’ve scrapped the Rwanda deterrent, opening the doors for the people smugglers and asylum seekers who said they were hoping for a Labour government.
They’ve given an effective amnesty to 100,000 illegal immigrants and now they’re looking to cut a deal with the EU which could mean the UK taking a quota of migrants from Europe.
As home secretary, I worked relentlessly to get a grip on migration and as Shadow home secretary I will do the same to hold this Labour government to account.
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Russell Findlay, Conservative party justice spokesperson at Holyrood and a possible candidate for leadership of the party in Scotland, has said that for “years” his party has failed to set out a “positive vision” for Scotland.
Writing in the Scottish Daily Mail, Findlay said:
For Conservatives, this is our chance for a fresh start in Scotland, and we must not waste it. [But] let’s not kid ourselves. Thousands of Scots who previously voted for the Scottish Conservatives chose not to do so this time. I think the simple truth is that over recent years the Scottish Conservatives have focused too much on what we are opposed to, and spent not nearly enough time setting out the positive case for a modern, popular conservatism. That must change.
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King Charles and Queen Camilla have visited the Senedd in Cardiff today as part of celebrations for 25 years of Welsh devolution.
They were greeted by children representing schools across Wales, before meeting llywydd Elin Jones and first minister Vaughan Gething.
King Charles III and llywydd Elin Jones during a visit to the Senedd. Photograph: Chris Jackson/PAQueen Camilla is greeted by Vaughan Gething. Photograph: Chris Jackson/PAShare
The number of registered childcare providers in England has fallen over the past year, figures from Ofsted suggest.
Education secretary Bridget Phillipson has pledged to deliver a “sea change” in early years provision, and said the new Labour government would recruit more early years staff through a “re-energised” recruitment campaign.
Labour has said it will repurpose empty or under-used classrooms in primary schools to offer more places at 3,000 new school-based nurseries.
PA media reports education minister Stephen Morgan said: “I know from personal experience just how hard early educators work, and this Government is determined to make early years our top priority, reset our engagement with the sector and set every child on the journey to improved life chances.
“It’s encouraging that uptake of established offers and availability of places look to be heading in the right direction, but there is clearly much more to do to make the plans work for families across the country.”
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Businessman Zia Yusuf, who donated thousands to Reform UK over their general election campaign, has been appointed chairman of the party, PA Media reports. Richard Tice moves from the role of chairman to become deputy leader, replacing Ben Habib. Lee Anderson will become the chief whip of the party which has 5 MPs.
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Andy Burnham has written for the Guardian today. The mayor of Greater Manchester says:
The historic gathering of England’s mayors with the new prime minister and deputy prime minister around the cabinet table on Tuesday, just a few days after the election, confirms that the 2024 to 2029 parliament is going to be different than any that has gone before it.
At the very start, the clearest of instructions has been sent directly into the heart of the Whitehall system: the devolution of power can no longer justifiably be resisted. If the new government is going to generate the economic growth it needs in all parts of the UK, its regions and nations must be empowered with immediate effect.
Regional English mayors pose outside 10 Downing Street prior to a roundtable with Keir Starmer. Photograph: Tayfun Salcı/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock
Read more from Andy Burnham here: Tory governments talked down to regional mayors like me. Now Keir Starmer is listening to us
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Patrick Butler, our social policy editor, has this report on those child poverty figures:
The Labour government has come under fresh pressure to abolish the two-child benefit limit after latest official figures showed a record 1.6 million children were living in families affected by the controversial policy.
Campaigners and charities described the figures as “shameful” and renewed calls for the benefit limit to be scrapped, saying the much-criticised policy introduced by the Tory government seven years ago had become the UK’s biggest single driver of child poverty.
A total of 1.6 million children – equivalent to one in nine of all UK youngsters – were affected by the policy last year, an increase of 100,000, the latest statistics show. Just under two-thirds (59%) of the 450,000 households hit had at least one parent in work.
The policy prevents parents on universal credit claiming benefit support for any third or subsequent child born after April 2017. Currently, this means families lose out on £3,455 a year for each child affected, subjecting many to hunger and hardship.
Joseph Howes, chair of the End Child Poverty Coalition, said: “If the aim is to reduce child poverty, there is no way for the new Labour government to keep this policy in place when the evidence shows that the number of children impacted is increasing year on year.”
He added: “Children living in poverty cannot wait any longer – this shameful policy must be scrapped, the time for action is now.”
Read more from Patrick Butler here: UK’s two-child benefit cap hit 1.6 million children last year, figures show
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Suella Braverman has been on GB News, where she has said the country is being “gaslighted” over “the concept of white privilege”, and said Rishi Sunak blocked her from bring down migration when she was in the government.
She said:
There’s an orthodox view, informed mainly by the Treasury, that more people, regardless of where they come from, regardless of what their skills are, regardless of what they’re earning, is necessarily a good thing for the economy in terms of growth.
I fundamentally refute that, because there’s a massive oversight there in terms of growth per capita, which has been declining as the population increases, the cost and the pressure on housing supply, on public services, and also on national identity and cultural cohesion.
In a line deviating from the huge focus that Sunak put as prime minister on has “stop the boats” flagship pledge, Braverman said “I’m very concerned about the exponential rise in immigration, and I’m not talking here about the boats. The boats is a big problem, but the numbers are relatively small compared to legal migration.”
Braverman continued:
I’m very concerned for a whole number of reasons about the unsustainable pace and scale of legal migration. People who come here need to contribute to our culture and to our way of life, and that’s what concerns me.
We’ve got to stop telling the British people that they are racist. We’ve got to stop trying to guilt white people and we’ve got to stop branding all English people as racist.
This concept of white privilege is a nonsense to me. Say that to the white working-class boys in Britain who are the most underachieving when it comes to literacy and numeracy and school outcomes. Say that to young girls in some northern city towns, who were raped and abused by gangs of largely Pakistani Muslim men. So, I think we need to stop gaslighting the British people.
She said she was blocked from lowering migration by Sunak. Braverman, who was twice dismissed from the role of home secretary, once by Liz Truss and once by Sunak, went on to say:
Now for your viewers and for those people who’ve not been in government, let me explain the reality of being in government. You could be the best minister. You could be the most charismatic, cleverest person in the room with the best idea.
I just wanted to deliver a manifesto commitment to lower overall migration. But if the prime minister doesn’t agree with you, if no one around the Cabinet table agrees with you, you’re not getting anywhere. And that is the reality that I came up against.
Earlier this week while in the US Braverman described the Progress Pride flag as a “monstrous thing”, saying she was angered when it was flown over the Home Office against her will, and attacked her fellow leadership hopeful Kemi Badenoch. Badenoch had suggested that Braverman was having a “very public” breakdown.
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I did promise not to mention the football too much, but Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey has just got a bit ahead of himself and called for there to be a bank holiday if England’s men beat much-fancied Spain in the Euro 2024 final on Sunday.
He is quoted as saying:
The Three Lions are playing their first ever final on foreign soil, and if they bring it home, the government should bring home a bank holiday to celebrate. England deserves the chance to celebrate a once in a generation event. Who knows we might even get decent weather.
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Reeves: BoE is independent, but public ‘would welcome’ cut in mortgage rates
Rachel Reeves has said she thinks the public would welcome a cut in interest rates from the Bank of England.
Asked by broadcasters during a visit to Darlington whether the Bank should reduce rates next month, Reeves said:
The Bank of England is rightly independent. I was an economist at the Bank of England for many years before I became an MP and so I respect that independence.
But of course, I know that many people who have been struggling with higher mortgage rates after the Conservatives’ mini-budget just under two years ago would welcome some relief with lower mortgage costs.
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Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been speaking during a visit to Darlington, and has welcomed the reported rise in GDP in May of 0.4%.
She told broadcasters:
It’s welcome to have an increase in GDP. So important after the last few years of a flatlining economy. But there’s clearly more work to be done.
That is why in my first speech as chancellor I announced significant planning reforms, ending the moratorium on onshore wind, reintroducing housing targets, calling in planning decisions on housing and datacentres so we can get Britain building again, so we can grow our economy, which means we can improve living standards and have the money we need for our public services.
Just got started. There’s a lot more to do. I hope that the plans that I set in motion this week is what is needed to grow our economy and create good jobs right across the UK.
I’ve been in post for a week now. We’ve done more to reform the planning system in the first 72 hours I was in this role than the previous government did in 14 years.
We’ve got off to a good start, and businesses have welcomed our plans. I’m determined to do what’s needed.
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Lib Dems: two-child benefit cap is ‘cruel and counter-productive’
Wendy Chamberlain, the Liberal Democrats work and pensions spokesperson, has described the two-child benefit cap as “cruel and counter-productive”, and said her party would continue to campaign to have it scrapped.
The MP for North East Fife said:
The Conservative government trapped hundreds of thousands of children in poverty with their cruel and counter-productive two-child limit.
The Liberal Democrats will keep campaigning to scrap it, which would be the quickest and most cost-effective way to lift children out of poverty with huge long-term benefits for our society and our economy.
Labour has said it wants to tackle child poverty in government, but has refused to abolish the cap.
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Child Poverty Action Group chief: Labour cannot wait to ‘align every star’ before scrapping two-child benefit cap
The Child Poverty Action Group report into the two-child benefit cap is called Things Can Only Get Worse, and can be downloaded here.
They list these as the key points included:
Seven years after the introduction of the two-child limit, there are almost 1.6 million children in 440,000 families affected by the policy. These families are missing out on up to £3,455 a year per child
The majority of families affected by the policy are living in poverty, despite 59 per cent of these families having one or both parents in paid work
Affected families report not being able to provide for children’s basic needs, including food, clothing and heating. The policy also means families struggle to pay for housing and childcare
The policy affects every area of children’s lives. Parents report that children’s education, mental health, and learning and development are all negatively affected by the two-child limit. Children are also missing out on the “every day” experiences of childhood such as days out with their family, being able to go on holiday, or having the occasional treat such as an ice-cream
Abolishing the two-child limit is the most cost-effective way to reduce child poverty, and the most urgent action the government must take to reduce child poverty. It would lift 300,000 children out of poverty and mean 700,000 children are in less deep poverty, making a significant difference to the lives of over a million children at a cost of £1.7bn
PA Media reports that Rev Martyn Snow, Bishop of Leicester, said: “The testimonies in this report remind us that the two-child limit continues to affect the wellbeing and life chances of too many children and families in this country. Abolishing this unfair policy is essential if we are to turn the tide on poverty and ensure that every child is supported to flourish in all areas of life.”
Chief Executive of Child Poverty Action Group Alison Garnham is quoted as saying: “Children are losing their life chances to the two-child limit now. They can’t wait for the new Government to align every star before the policy is scrapped. Keir Starmer came to office pledging a bold, ambitious child poverty-reduction plan and there’s no way to deliver on that promise without scrapping the two-child limit, and fast.”
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Prime minister Keir Starmer is in the US for the Nato summit. My colleague Amy Sedghi has just kicked off our live coverage of that over here.
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Kendall: child poverty ‘stain on society’ as figures reveal 1.6m children across UK affected by the two-child limit on benefits
More than one and a half million children across the UK are affected by the two-child limit on benefits, figures show as the new Work and Pensions Secretary branded child poverty a “stain on our society”. It is not Labour policy to abolish the cap.
Liz Kendall, appointed to the role last week, said:
Too many children are growing up in poverty and this is a stain on our society. We will work to give every child the best start in life by delivering our manifesto commitment to implement an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty. I will hold critical meetings with charities and experts next week to get this urgent work under way.
The figures come as the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) said its survey of 560 families hit by the policy reveals “the deep suffering and deprivation it’s causing”.
Almost all of them (93%) said the policy had affected their ability to pay for food, while 82% said it meant they struggle to cover gas or electricity bills. Almost half (45%) of respondents said they struggled to pay their rent or mortgage because of the policy while (46%) told of struggles to manage childcare costs.
The Resolution Foundation has calculated that abolishing the two-child limit would cost the Government somewhere between £2.5bn and £3.6bn but said it would be one of the most efficient ways to drive down child poverty rates”, estimating that if abolished it could lift 490,000 children out of poverty.
PA Media reports figures published on Thursday by the Department for Work and Pensions showed there were 1.6 million children living in households affected by the policy as of April this year, up from 1.5 million to April 2023.
Of these, 52% of children were in households with three children, 29% in households with four children, and 19% are in households with five or more children.
Before becoming prime minister, Keir Starmer said he would ditch the two-child limit “in an ideal world” but added that “we haven’t got the resources to do it at the moment”.
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Updated at 10.59 BST
There have some harsh words flying around this morning as Conservatives jockey for position for the forthcoming leadership battle, with GB News the pulpit of choice.
Former MP Andrea Jenkyns told viewers of the channel she was supporting Suella Braverman or Priti Patel to be the next leader.
She said of Kemi Badenoch that she was “just a party stooge. She voted for all Theresa May’s deals. She voted for more Net Zero. Look how she behaved with Boris, immaturely in those text messages, trying to get people to resign.”
With a hint of conspiracy theory in the air, she continued about Badenoch “Kemi was a London Assembly Member. Why is there nothing online? Why does her internet history seem to have been wiped prior to Brexit? That’s what I’d like to know.”
Jenkyns added “I think what we’ve seen over the last 18 months really is that we need some red meat policies. Look how people went to Reform,” and said “I certainly don’t want Victoria Atkins. I don’t like her whatsoever. She’s just so damned rude, I’m afraid.”
Jacob Rees-Mogg has also popped up with his tuppence worth, arguing the party needs to move further to the right, rather than to the centre. He said:
Reform merely connected with the voters we failed to inspire. It should surely be number one on our agenda to win Reform voters back into the Tory party.
And we don’t win elections from the centre. Any attempt to indulge that narrative that our only problem was drifting too far to the right is fanciful.
If the next leader takes that view, he or she should expect to lose even more seats.
It is unclear the extent to which the next leader of the Conservative party will be open to advice from former MPs who lost their seats last week.
If the Tory leadership contest is held under the existing rules, then neither Rees-Mogg nor Jenkyns will be in a position to vote on a new leader until the proposition is put to party members for a final vote between two candidates that have been selected by those who were elected to be MPs last week.
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Streeting: NHS performance investigation will be ‘the survey, before we draw up plans to rebuild it anew’
Here is a little bit more from health secretary Wes Streeting about plans for an independent investigation into the performance of the NHS, which is to be led by former health minister Lord Ara Darzi.
Streeting stressed that Darzi has “more than 30 years’ experience in the NHS and is perfectly placed to conduct this important work” and has been asked to tell “hard truths”.
Streeting wrote:
The NHS and my department have been instructed to hand him whatever information he needs.
It is going to take time to turn the NHS around – we were honest about that before the election. Sticking-plasters will not be enough to heal it. It will require fundamental reform.
We have pledged a ten-year plan to make the NHS fit for the future, which we will be consulting patients, experts and staff on soon.
The NHS has been wrecked. This investigation will be the survey, before we draw up plans to rebuild it anew, so it can be there for all of us when we need it, once again.
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Read the full story on www.theguardian.com
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2024/jul/11/keir-starmer-labour-nato-gdp-defence-spending-uk-politics-live