Maintenance is not included simply because you have a lot of absent parents who lie about their income and the CSA is incompetent.
I am glad the rape clause has been revoked. Lifting the two child limit runs into the benefits cap if you have a larger family, so I think the outrage is misplaced. I am glad to see the extension of the apprenticeship schemes and the increase in minimum wage (even though it impacts my business) as people should be fairly paid and it will lead to more money in the economy. More inflation too, but that's not always a bad thing if you have a lot of debt you are trying to reduce (which the Government does). I am still concerned that the sums do not add up and a lot of the pain is being put off for three years - so these changes will bite in an election year. Lawrence over on the "Comment is Freed" blog on Substack has a good analysis out today.
I do think Rachel Reeves missed a chance to be bold here. The tax system needs overhauling, she has a massive majority and her opposition are in disarray. She could have smoothed out the cliff edges, reformed council tax, simplified allowances, changed VAT or changed the rules on free childcare that puts people off working. Most of the moves would take courage but would also be a net-zero or even a positive cash flow.
Ultimately though, she wanted to satisfy her backbenchers, reassure the markets and keep her job. On that score, the budget delivered - for her.