Labour’s proposal to eliminate the two-child benefit cap has made significant progress as Members of Parliament have voted to abolish the controversial limit.
The vote, with a tally of 458-104, signifies a crucial step in dismantling a policy that has been criticized for ensnaring children in poverty. Despite resistance from Nigel Farage’s Reform party and Kemi Badenoch’s Conservatives, the decision to end the Tory-era policy was solidified.
In response to the outcome, Pat McFadden, the Secretary for Work and Pensions, expressed, “Today Parliament has taken a vital stride towards fulfilling our commitment to addressing child poverty. This is about transforming the trajectory of children’s lives, providing each child with a genuine chance at a prosperous future – enabling them to excel in education, maintain good health, and contribute to society as adults.”
During the voting process on Tuesday evening, two of Nigel Farage’s recent recruits to the Reform party, former Tory MPs Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick, mistakenly voted to remove the two-child benefit limit. According to Sky News, the duo found themselves locked in the chamber after inadvertently entering the supporting lobby. A spokesperson for Reform stated, “They genuinely made an error by walking through the wrong lobby.” Nigel Farage did not have a recorded vote, while the other five Reform UK MPs opposed the government’s legislation.
The Bill aims to eliminate restrictions on claiming Universal Credit and Child Tax Credits for the first two children in a household. Initially introduced by the Conservative Government in 2017, the two-child benefit limit has been a target for removal since Labour assumed power in July 2024.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the decision to abolish the cap in her Autumn Budget with the goal of lifting an estimated 450,000 children out of poverty. In an article for The Mirror, Reeves emphasized the detrimental impact of the previous government’s decision to maintain the cap, citing its effects on families’ basic needs and the introduction of the controversial “rape clause” in the welfare system.
Data from the Department of Work and Pensions revealed that in the year leading up to April 2025, a record number of 469,780 households in Great Britain were affected by the two-child benefit limit. The majority of these households (59%) were employed and housed a total of 1.7 million children.
