Should Labour abolish the two child benefit cap?

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In two minds about this. Yes for those who find themselves on benefits after having more than two children (job loss, divorce etc) but perhaps not for those who choose to have more than two children when they have never worked (disabled families excepted).

https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/jul/11/uk-two-child-benefit-cap-affected-1-6-million-children-last-year-figures-show

No.

TheFallenMadonna · Today 08:06
Yes, because child poverty doesn't solve problems in society. It causes them.

Couldn’t have said it better

I'm in two minds over this maybe vouchers for children over the cap but not extra cash

No, 100% not. Make the absent parent pay and stop the state having to subsidise. There are a lot of people out there though who are getting both and that is wrong.

Yes they should lift the cap. There are kids Iiving in poverty that's the worst its has been for years - how can a society not support this? no matter what the views are on the parents and their choices there are children suffering. I am ashamed of a society that thinks this is ok.

No. This cap has been in effect now for 7 years, there's no risk of people being unaware. There are, as an earlier poster said, sensible exemptions for exceptional circumstances (eg, multiple births). But beyond that, people need to take financial responsibility for their kids. I'd rather see feckless, CMS-dodging parents hounded for what they owe for their children's upkeep than the taxpayer asked to dip into their pockets again.

Isn't that what jobs are for? If people want to have children that is their choice not multiple generations on benefits because 'Oh well the government will pay'

Tough one isn't it. People shouldn't be having children they can't afford, but children shouldn't be going cold and hungry due to the bad decisions of their parents. I wonder what the data says about this policy as a deterrent?

Politically I think it's easy - keep the cap as Labour won't want to look soft on benefits to their recent centrist voters. But that doesn't make it the right thing to do.

I think those on benefits because they CHOOSE not to work should be encouraged to have no more than one child. Why keep having children that you can’t afford and can’t provide for?

No they shouldn't

Child poverty costs more in the long term, so yes. You can also clamp down on absentee fathers, the two are not mutually exclusive.

It is not the child's fault they live in poverty.

"Society thinks this is OK '

Having babies you can't afford is not OK though.
Yes people have accidents and multiples and I think there are extra help for triplets etc.
Hopefully for unexpected twins.

Currently it's 170 a month for two.

There are other things that may help in phse life skills, budgeting, second hand, managing money, the vulnerability of having dc you can't afford etc.

It's estimated it would cost around £3bn. Which is really a drop in the water of the national budget. Fewer children living in poverty is worth it. There will always be feckless parents, that won't and hasn't changed.

No. A person with a single income of 25k and two children nets the same monthly as a single person with no children does with a salary of 130k. Enabling further children at the expense of the tax payer is unnecessary.

• there is absolutely no guarantee whatever that extra cb payments go to the child at all. They will also be on benefits.. If A monthly package of food, appropriate clothes for the season, suncream food went speficically to a child, yes! But saying here is more money doesn't mean it goes anywhere near the child

No. Some of us only had 1 child because that's what we could afford. Instead of getting rid of the cap the money should be spent engaging with parebts and children in poverty in order to improve the life chances of those children eg ensuring they are in full time education, getting proper health care etc. Then training and supporting the parents to enable them to work. That's how you effectively reduce child poverty, not by slinging more money at people per child

I doubt the money goes anywhere near the children, I would prefer free school meals or food vouchers instead

People who receive benefits spend their money and it goes back into the economy.

Families on low incomes aren't the ones to blame for the state of the economy and they aren't the people anger should be directed at .

Absolutely not. I have one child and I work full time in a professional job earning £30k. I get around £2k a month after tax, NI and student loan. There are people who are on benefits who get a similar amount as me or even more without working full time!

I don't receive any benefits (apart from the child benefit most parents get) or get cheap rent or help with bills, council tax etc. The new gov needs to help working people who are struggling with the cost of living.

This is a great response.

With all the women in the cabinet I really, really hope some women focus policies come out.

Yeah because people who keep having kids they can't afford are generally excellent at prioritising for their kids...more money they will most likely mismanage and not get spent on the kids

Two children paid for by the taxpayer is plenty.
Only have more children if you can afford them.

No, two children per family being supported by the state is plenty.

No. There are many parents making sensible, responsible choices about how many children they have who are working really hard and being given no help.

When you work, no one gives you a rise because you have another child. You have to save, plan and reduce the amount you spend on other things or make the often sad decision not to have another child.

As to the 'children in poverty' - this is relative poverty, not absolute poverty and relative poverty is a measure of having less than others - this will always exist.

To those who want to end it - do you have an upper limit on how many children someone can have? Five, ten?

Whilst I don’t disagree with it in principle the practice is very different.

The two child cap is no deterrent to irresponsible people who continue to have numerous children who they can’t afford to keep. Then these children live in poverty made worse by limited child benefit.
I don’t want to see children punished for their parent’s behaviour.