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Teaching unions urge government to lift two-child benefit cap ‘harming pupils’

Teaching unions urge government to lift two-child benefit cap
Image Source: By Stefan Rousseau/PA

Teaching and education unions have urged Sir Keir Starmer to scrap the two-child benefit cap, describing the policy as “cruel” and incompatible with Labour’s pledge to reduce child poverty.

Pressure ahead of Labour conference

In a joint letter to the prime minister, the unions called for the cap to be fully abandoned in the government’s long-awaited child poverty strategy, due before Christmas. The intervention comes as Labour’s annual conference opens in Liverpool on Sunday, with the policy expected to dominate debate.

The cap, introduced by the Conservatives in 2017, limits universal credit and tax credit payments to the first two children in most families. The Resolution Foundation has estimated that lifting the restriction could take 470,000 children out of poverty.

Unions: cap harms learning and classrooms

The National Education Union, NASUWT, Unison, the National Association of Head Teachers, the Association of School and College Leaders and the National Governance Association all signed the letter.

They warned that the policy is worsening inequality in schools and leaving teachers struggling to support pupils:

“This poverty-producing policy is harming the lives of hundreds of thousands of children and young people in our classrooms… Poverty is having an adverse impact on children’s ability to learn, with children in low-income households doing worse at every milestone.”

The unions argued that an ambitious anti-poverty strategy cannot credibly be delivered while the cap remains in place.

Growing calls within Labour

Pressure is also mounting inside Labour to act. Education secretary Bridget Phillipson has said scrapping the cap is “on the table”, branding it “spiteful” and accusing the Conservatives of pushing children into hardship.

More than 100 Labour MPs have signed a letter to chancellor Rachel Reeves urging her to change course in the budget. Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, who rebelled over the policy last year, said the recent restoration of the whip to him and fellow rebel Apsana Begum was a hopeful sign Labour may reverse its stance.

Government response

A government spokesperson said ministers would soon publish an “ambitious strategy” to tackle the root causes of child poverty. They highlighted £500m of investment in Best Start family hubs, expanded free school meals, and a £1bn crisis support package to help families through holidays.

Unions insist, however, that unless the two-child cap is abolished, Labour’s plans will fall short of delivering meaningful change.

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