Nigel Farage would ditch the two-child benefit cap to make having children “a bit easier [1] for British families”.
The cap blocks parents from claiming Universal Credit or child tax credit for more than two children.
It was introduced by the Conservatives in 2017 to cut the benefits bill and has been retained by the Labour Government.
It has been loudly criticised by leaders of the Christian Churches, with the archbishop of Canterbury calling it “cruel” while the Catholic Bishops of Northern Ireland condemned it as “morally abhorrent” [2].
In a major speech, Farage said scrapping the two child benefit cap would mean that for lower paid workers, it would make “having children just a little bit easier for them. It’s not a silver bullet. It doesn’t solve all of those problems, but it helps them.”
He added that it would be aimed at British families, not “at those that come into the country and suddenly decide to have a lot of children.”
The Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has allegedly been open to such a change, in order to tackle child poverty, but has faced pushback from his Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, regarding the £3.5 billion cost, with a widespread expectation that she would raise taxes to fund it.
The Conservatives continue to defend the benefit cap [3].