The two-child limit is abolished at last. Watch out for the narrative that will follow

‘The cap has become a key part of the ‘war on welfare’ narrative – and the key driver of worsening child poverty.’ Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA

And just like that, the two-child benefit limit was finally abolished.

“I don’t intend to preside over a status quo that punishes children for the circumstances of their birth,” the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, told the Commons, as she used the budget to scrap, from April 2026, one of Britain’s most controversial policies.