A groundbreaking study has laid bare what it says are the severe consequences of the controversial two-child benefit cap, with researchers from the Universities of Glasgow, Liverpool and Newcastle joining a chorus of voices calling for its abolition.
The policy, which limits child tax credit and universal credit to the first two children in most families, is under fire for apparently exacerbating child poverty, a situation that Labour leader Keir Starmer is now being urged to address.
The comprehensive research highlights the profound benefits of eradicating child poverty by scrapping policies such as the two-child benefit cap, marking it as the most extensive investigation of its kind to date.
Initially introduced by the Tories in 2015 and implemented in 2017, the cap has been a point of contention, with experts warning of its potential to drive up child poverty rates under a Labour government.
By analysing data at the local authority level, the study forecasts the positive ripple effects that reducing child poverty could have across the UK over the next 10 years.
The researchers’ models, using 15%, 25% and 35% decreases in child poverty, were deemed “realistic” based on the significant 26% reduction witnessed during the previous Labour administration.
The study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, has revealed that scrapping the controversial two-child limit on benefits could lead to “substantial improvements to child health” and potentially avoid hundreds of infant deaths.
The researchers’ “ambitious but realistic” target of a 35% reduction in child poverty rates could prevent 293 infant deaths, 4,696 children entering care, 458 cases of nutritional anaemias, and 32,650 emergency admissions among children.
While acknowledging that removing the two-child cap would likely increase benefit expenditure, the study suggests these actions would “likely translate into significant savings for, and relieve pressure on, local authorities”. The research also highlights that targeted levelling up in deprived areas could amplify the positive effects anticipated.
The findings indicate that such policy changes would have profound implications for both local councils and the NHS, with the most financially disadvantaged regions, such as North-East England, standing to gain the most from eliminating the cap.
Calls to abolish the two-child limit have been resonating through parliament, with voices from the UK public, members of the Conservative Party who originally implemented the cap and Labour representatives. This is against a backdrop where nearly half of all children in certain towns and cities are living in poverty.
Following the revelation of official UK data that showed a staggering 4.33 million children dwelling in households with a relatively low income after housing costs, a study has rung the alarm.
A government spokesperson disclosed to the Guardian: “No child should be in poverty that’s why our new cross-government task force will develop an ambitious child poverty strategy to tackle the crisis. Alongside this urgent work, we will roll out free breakfast clubs in all primary schools while delivering on our plan to grow the economy and make work pay for hard-working families in every part of the country.”
