In September, I managed to secure a Ten Minute Rule Motion slot. Due to parliamentary arithmetic, the SNP rarely gets these opportunities and much thought went in to the possible topics. Given the Prime Minister and (former) Foreign Secretary were already on the way to the recognition of the Palestinian state, I decided to focus on matters closer to home.
I have been calling for the abolition of the two-child limit consistently since it was first introduced. My colleague Alison Thewliss led the SNP’s initial charge and I’ve picked up the baton in this term.
This is a policy that actively removes support from the children and families who need it most. It has pushed some 730,000 more children into poverty and leaves families juggling impossible choices between food, heating and basic toiletries. The human consequences can be counted: families skipping meals, falling into arrears, taking loans to cover essentials. These children are not statistics.
The Prime Minister promised in July 2024 that no child would be left hungry, cold or have their future held back. More than a year later, the UK Government still haven’t taken action.
While Ministers punt work on a child poverty strategy from spring 2025 back to autumn, the two-child cap continues to push children into hardship. Since the Prime Minister’s pledge, 100 more children a day have been dragged into poverty by the two-child limit. 100 more every single day.
This policy is cruel in both intent and effect. It targets children for being born into larger families and it disproportionately harms women, disabled households and black and minority ethnic communities. It entrenches and propagates inequality.
This is not a problem of worklessness either – no matter how much the two main parties would like to convince you it is. Almost six in ten families affected by the two-child limit include at least one working parent. The policy therefore penalises those out of work or those in work who cannot earn enough to keep their children warm and fed.
The fiscal situation does not absolve politicians of responsibility. Independent analysts and charities are unanimous that abolishing the two-child cap is the fastest and most cost-effective way to reduce child poverty. Removing the cap would immediately lift hundreds of thousands out of severe hardship, including nearly half a million children.
That is immediate, measurable impact. Reforming the cap is not a gamble; it is targeted social policy that delivers relief to the families who need it most.
Scotland provides a clear proof of concept for what political will can achieve. Policies such as the Scottish Child Payment, the Best Start Grant and targeted mitigation measures have driven down relative and absolute child poverty in Scotland. The poorest families with children in Scotland are materially better off because of these interventions. We have led from the front, and child poverty is falling as a result. When will the UK follow?
The choice before Labour is straightforward and urgent. If the party truly stands for social justice and for restoring the living standards of working families, it must make good on its promises by scrapping the two-child limit now. The continuing delay is not just politically damaging; it is morally indefensible. Every week this policy remains in place more children are denied a decent childhood. The Prime Minister’s vow to “leave no stone unturned” is hollow while the two-child limit remains in place.
The Government’s arguments about affordability must be weighed against the real and long-term costs of allowing millions of children to grow up in poverty. Poor health, worse educational outcomes and reduced lifetime earnings are predictable consequences of the increasing numbers of children facing hardship. Investing now in the security of families is cheaper than paying the social and economic price of another generation harmed by deprivation.
Parliament can start today. Supporting a bill to scrap the two-child cap would send a clear message to Downing Street that words must be matched with action. History will remember whether this government chose to protect children or to preserve a policy that punishes them. The humane, cost-effective and politically sensible choice is plain: end the two-child cap now and restore dignity to the childhoods the state is meant to protect.
Scrap the Two-Child Limit Now
