Rachel Reeves urged to introduce ‘child lock’ on benefits to reduce poverty

Save the Children says a lock on child-related benefits could result in 80,000 fewer children living in poverty at the end of this decade. Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA

Rachel Reeves is facing calls to introduce a “child lock” to protect spending on child-related benefits in the autumn budget, a move campaigners say would dramatically reduce the number of children in poverty.

In a report to be shared with the Treasury and ministers this week, Save the Children has called for a guarantee that benefits for supporting children are raised each year in line with inflation or average earnings, whichever of the two figures is higher.