Charities raise alarm that thousands more children risk being pushed into poverty as a result of the decision to delay the child poverty strategy until the autumn
Keir Starmer’s strategy to tackle the scar of child poverty has been delayed until the Autumn in a major setback.
It was launched just weeks after Labour’s landslide election victory and is being led by Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson and Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall. The government promised to publish recommendations of a task force led by the two senior ministers in the Spring with measures “to reduce and alleviate child poverty”.
But the strategy has now been pushed back to the Autumn leading to fears thousands more children will fall into poverty in the coming months. Ms Phillipson previously said the strategy would look at the controversial two-child benefit limit – an austerity-era policy blamed for trapping kids in poverty.
Introduced by ex-Tory Chancellor George Osborne it restricts parents from claiming Universal Credit or Child Tax Credits for any kids beyond their first two Ex-Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called for the “cruel” policy, which is estimated to impact over 100 extra children a day, to be scrapped. Experts agree ditching the policy would be the most effective way to lift hundreds of thousands of kids out of poverty in Britain.
Government insiders said the decision to delay the strategy, which was first reported by the Guardian, was to align it with the Budget. They also insisted measures to reduce poverty could be announced in the meantime and highlighted work to roll-out free breakfast clubs in primary schools. But it means any decision on the two-child benefit limit is likely to be delayed until the Autumn.
Mr Starmer launched the strategy in July 2024 as he vowed to “leave no stone unturned to give every child the best start at life”. It came as he faced his first Commons rebellion as PM over the two-child benefit limit. Former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, who was one of seven Labour MPs to lose the whip for voting against the government, said pushing back the strategy was an “appalling decision”.
He told The Mirror: “Every time this report is delayed it means more children remain in poverty, scarring their young lives. All we are asking Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves to do is behave like a real Labour government and lift these children out of poverty.”
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Dan Paskins, executive director of policy, advocacy and campaigns at Save the Children UK, said: “Every month that goes by while Keir Starmer does not scrap the cruel two-child limit means thousands of children are plunged into poverty. We would like to see assurance from Number 10 that this delay means their child poverty strategy contains bold ideas backed with the finance – starting with scrapping the two-child limit and benefit cap.”
Big Issue founder John Bird added: “The government has just kicked the issue of child poverty into the long grass. The impact of their inaction will be grave. It is shameful that child poverty is forecast to not fall, but rise significantly, to 31.5% of children under this Labour government.
“We need action now, not in six months or a year’s time. I will relentlessly pursue my intervention of adding child poverty targets to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill with the vigour that the 4.3 million children living in poverty in our country deserve.”
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It comes after Ms Kendall insisted Labour is determined to follow in the footsteps of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown in slashing levels of child poverty in Britain. The Work and Pensions Secretary said it was a “top priority” after ex-Labour PM Mr Brown described the issue as a “stain on the soul” of the country.
Ms Kendall refused to be drawn on the future of the two-child benefit limit. But she said: “We’ve got a big commitment to a child poverty strategy. Child poverty will be going down at the time of the next election. And we’re going to look at all the possible levers for doing that. We will publish that strategy and set out how we will pay for it and you will, I’m afraid, have to wait.”
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