The two-child benefit cap inflicts suffering on the UK's children. Labour must scrap it

“The true character of a society is revealed in how it treats its children” is a quote attributed to Nelson Mandela. If we apply this thinking to the two-child benefit cap then the character of UK society is deeply troubling and points to a complete lack of humanity.

Children are the most vulnerable members of society and need to be protected, but the creation of the two-child benefit cap in the UK in 2017 has served to harm them. It is one of the most inhumane and cruel pieces of legislation passed in modern times by the UK government.

It harkens back to the Old Testament, where “the sins of the father” – decisions made by parents – negatively affect future generations. No child should be adversely affected by decisions they have not made, but the two-child benefit cap firmly inflicts suffering on children. It is morally wrong.

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Proponents in favour of keeping the two-child limit argue that people should be responsible and not have children if they can’t pay for them. Putting aside this limited and reductive view of why there may be more than two children in a family for a moment, is it not clear that the two-child benefit cap is basically cruel to children? It is unfathomable to me why anyone would support it. It goes against all basic decency and compassion.

This cruel cap came in the wake of an era of austerity by the ruling Conservative party, where all the economic ills of the country were scapegoated onto anyone claiming benefits. This period also featured sensationalist media reports of how much in benefits larger families were entitled to. It felt like the government was bowing down to the media obsession of that time of “poverty porn”.

Programmes such as Benefits Street, How to Get a Council House and lest we forget the shameful Jeremy Kyle Show show dominated the media at the time. These programmes gleefully depicted all benefit claimants as scroungers, playing the system to live off the taxpayer. Such programmes were exploitative and biased, but have left a lasting legacy of “the benefit scrounger” stereotype, which still exists today.

With the current cost of living, the less money you have the more likely you are to experience poverty, thereby the two-child limit is contributing to child poverty. Simple, isn’t it? Yet when various cabinet ministers have been asked what they are doing to bring down child poverty, they exclaim: “We have implemented breakfast clubs!”

Yes. That’s it! A loaf of bread and a box of cereal in exchange for losing at least £3,000 in benefits per year. Also, you only get the loaf of bread and box of cereal 39 weeks out of the 52 weeks of the year. I am embarrassed for the cabinet ministers who say this.

In 2025 there are almost one million young people aged 16 to 24 who are not in education or in employment (referred to as NEETs). A quarter of these young people attribute this to illness or disability. It is not too outlandish to wonder if many of these so-called NEETs experienced child poverty and this had a direct consequence on their health and ability to work. It predicts devastating consequences for future generations if the two-child benefit cap and rising child poverty remain.

If I could speak directly to the UK government today, I would say abolishing the two-child benefit cap makes future economic sense, as well as being the morally right thing to do. Less children growing up in poverty, will lead to healthier and more prosperous adults.

The Child Poverty Strategy is due to be published very soon, after being delayed by almost five months. It is clear the government is jittery about abolishing the two-child benefit cap because they know that a child poverty strategy without doing so is not a strategy fit for purpose.

Sam Richards is a lone parent of one child and is part of the Changing Realities participatory research project.

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