Pressure is mounting on Keir Starmer as leading UK charities unite in demanding an end to the two child benefit cap.
In a direct challenge to the Labour Government, the Child Poverty Action Group, Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Citizens Advice have penned a joint letter calling for immediate action.
They warn that without scrapping the cap, this Labour administration risks becoming the first in history to leave office with child poverty rates even higher than when they took power.
The controversial policy restricts child-related benefits to the first two children in a family, a measure widely criticised by anti-poverty campaigners.
According to CPAG, removing the cap would instantly lift 350,000 children out of poverty across the United Kingdom.
Despite this stark figure, Labour ministers continue to resist calls for change.
The SNP has already pledged to scrap the cap in Scotland, aligning itself with the growing chorus of opposition to the policy.
SNP MSP Collette Stevenson says it is Labour, not devolved governments, that should be leading the way on child poverty.
She accuses Labour of forcing children into hardship through the continuation of the cap and cuts to disability support.
Stevenson says Labour’s approach could push another 50,000 children into poverty, warning of long-term social and economic consequences.
She describes the two child limit as a “callous policy” and says the government has a moral obligation to reverse it.
Stevenson insists that if Labour fails to act, it will carry the shame of worsening child poverty under its watch.
She points to Scotland’s approach as a model, where the SNP is taking active steps to dismantle the cap and protect children’s welfare.
Meanwhile, public frustration continues to grow as many view the cap as punishing children for circumstances beyond their control.
Campaigners argue that the policy disproportionately affects larger families already struggling with the cost of living crisis.
Experts have also raised concerns about the long-term impact of child poverty on education, health and social mobility.
The letter from charities is part of an escalating national campaign to pressure the UK Government into reversing the cap.
It comes at a time when the Labour leadership is under increasing scrutiny for failing to deliver on promises of fairness and equality.
With the next general election looming, Starmer faces a critical choice that could define his government’s legacy.
Ending the cap, campaigners say, would be a bold and humane step that matches the scale of the crisis.
The question remains whether Labour will rise to the challenge or continue defending a policy that leaves hundreds of thousands of children behind.
