Southport Lib Dems Urge Labour to Scrap Two Child Benefit Cap

Back in September local Lib Dem councillors were successful in proposing a motion which was agreed by Sefton Council that the two child benefit cap should be scrapped. At the time the Council Chief Executive wrote to the then Chancellor to set out Sefton’s position on the issue.

Controversially, the incoming Labour Government said they planned to retain the Cap. However, recent reports have suggested that Sir Keir Starmer is being pressured into a U-turn.

Southport Lib Dems have welcomed this and are urging the council and new Southport Labour MP to put pressure on the new government to scrap the cap and help take local children out of poverty.

Independent researchers have warned that the '2 Child Benefit Cap', introduced by the Conservatives in 2017 has been a major cause of an increase in child poverty. Figures from action for children, show that in Southport over 4,700 children are living in poverty. The cap also disproportionately affects single parent families and families with disabled children.

The Lib Dem manifesto pledged that they would immediately scrap the two-child policy with explicit commitments to reform Universal Credit such as reducing the waiting time for the first payment from five weeks to five days.

Lib Dem Cllr Gareth Lloyd-Johnson who moved the council motion, commented: “‘It is clear from the support this motion received in council last year that the vast majority of Labour Sefton councillors believe that the two-child cap is wrong. I hope that they will put pressure on their party and new Southport MP to scrap this 2 child cap.”

Erin Harvey, Southport Lib Dem Parliamentary spokesperson, added: “It’s clear the two-child cap brought in by the Tories is causing many families with children to suffer, potentially driving many to foodbanks. A reversal of this could be done quickly and it would be the cheapest and easiest way to help lift these families out of poverty.”

You can sign the Southport Lib Dem petition to scrap the cap here