Government delays publication of child poverty strategy

The government's child poverty strategy, which had been due for publication in the spring, has been delayed.

The Child Poverty Taskforce is still working on the strategy and has been considering, among other measures, whether to scrap the two-child benefit cap, a move some Labour MPs have long been calling for.

The BBC has been told the strategy could be set out in the autumn in time for the Budget, allowing ministers to say how any policy changes would be paid for.

A spokesperson said the government was "determined to bring down child poverty" and committed to publishing a strategy "later this year".

The Child Poverty Taskforce - co-chaired by Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall and Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson - was launched last July.

At the time, the prime minister was coming under pressure from the SNP and some of his own MPs to scrap the two-child benefit cap.

The policy - which prevents most families from claiming means-tested benefits for any third or additional children born after April 2017 - was introduced in 2017 by the then-Conservative government and is estimated to affect 1.5 million families.

On coming into government last year, Labour ministers argued that they did not have the resources to lift the two-child benefit cap.

At the time, Sir Keir Starmer said there was no single policy that could solve a complex problem.

On Saturday, Labour MP Dame Meg Hillier, chair of the Treasury committee, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that it was "absolutely clear" lifting the cap was "the only way we'll lift children out of poverty in this parliament".

Citing figures from her own analysis, she said removing the limit would cost the government around £2bn, as opposed to £40bn quoted to manage the impacts of child poverty.

"If you don't make [this choice] sooner rather than later, then we'll have more problems," she said.

The delay to the publication of the strategy - first reported by the Guardian - has been condemned as "disgraceful" by the SNP's work and pensions spokeswoman, Kirsty Blackman.

Dan Paskins, director of policy 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."

However, Helen Barnard, director of policy at the Trussell Trust charity said the delay "may be good news", adding that it was better to have a delayed strategy with measures "to really protect children from hunger and hardship".

A government spokesperson said: "We've already expanded free breakfast clubs, introduced a cap on the cost of school uniforms, increased the national minimum wage for those on the lowest incomes, uprated benefits in April and ed 700,000 of the poorest families by introducing a Fair Repayment Rate on Universal Credit deductions.

"We will publish an ambitious child poverty strategy later this year to ensure we deliver fully-funded measures that tackle the structural and root causes of child poverty across the country."

Seven Labour MPs were suspended from the parliamentary party for voting against the government on an amendment to scrap the two-child benefit cap. Four were reitted in February but the remainder continue to sit as independent MPs.

Pressure to remove the limit has remained, with Labour figures such as former prime minister Gordon Brown saying it was "condemning children to poverty".

Concerns over the cap are part of a wider discussion in the Labour Party about benefit cuts.

Earlier this week, Neil Duncan-Jordan Poole MP told the BBC there was "a very healthy debate inside the Labour Party at the moment about how we should be raising funds rather than cutting benefits".

On Wednesday, the prime minister announced a U-turn on removing winter fuel payments from all but the poorest pensioners.

In the House of Commons, he said he would make changes to allow "more pensioners" to qualify for the money, but did not provide details on how many people this would affect or when the change would be implemented.

Labour backbench worries about the winter fuel payment - and other cuts to benefits - have intensified since the party's poor performance in the recent local elections.

There is also criticism from the some in the Labour ranks over the government's cuts to disability benefits, which will be voted on next month.