- MPs are set to cast their initial votes on government legislation to lift the two-child benefit cap, a policy shift first announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves last autumn.
- The Joseph Rowntree Foundation projects that this change will lead to approximately 400,000 fewer children experiencing poverty by April, though they caution that further measures are needed to sustain this progress.
- A coalition of 63 organisations, including children's doctors, teachers, health visitors and anti-poverty charities, has urged MPs to support the Bill, describing the cap as an "awful experiment that hurt children".
- The Conservative Party has stated its intention to vote against the Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Bill, while Labour backbenchers have previously advocated for the cap's abolition.
- The Office for Budget Responsibility estimates the move will cost £3 billion annually by 2029/30, with Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden calling it an "investment" in the future.
IN FULL
