THE “unjust” two-child benefit cap is, in effect, a “sibling penalty” and should be scrapped in the autumn Budget, more than 170 church and charity leaders have argued.
In an open letter to the Chancellor, organised and published by Church Action on Poverty on Friday, they write: “The UK’s shared social security system should be just and effective. Yet, right now, the two-child limit is instead creating a great injustice.
“It is, in reality, a sibling penalty. It punishes children for the fact that they happen to have more than one brother or sister. Something that should be a joy — sibling companionship — is instead held against children, denying them access to the opportunities, security and basic sustenance that all children deserve and need.”
Among the signatories are Anglican clergy, churchwardens, and General Synod members, as well as Roman Catholic bishops and clergy, and representatives of Methodist, Baptist, Quaker, and Pentecostal churches.
The letter points to government statistics on the social-security cap, which affects 1.6 million children in 440,000 households. Families are missing out on up to £3455 a year, it says. “There is widespread consensus that ending this policy would be the single most effective step the Government could take towards ending poverty, immediately freeing 300,000 children from poverty.”
The letter describes the policy, introduced by the Conservatives in 2017, as “futile” in relation to its original aims. “Above all, the policy is quite simply unjust and unjustifiable. No child should be actively held back by the Government, and left worse off than their peers, simply because of how many brothers and sisters they have.”
The chief executive of Church Action on Poverty, Niall Cooper, said: “Churches have rightly spoken out against this unjust policy for many years, and it is encouraging that church leaders from a wide range of denominations are doing so again. . .
“The Chancellor should listen to the growing consensus, the strong evidence, and the overwhelming moral imperative on this issue.”
The Archbishop of York, writing in the Yorkshire Post on Saturday, reiterated his support for the campaign to scrap the two-child limit. “Ending this harmful policy would be the single most effective way of lifting children out of poverty, and it is something the Government absolutely ought to do,” he writes.
“But realising a hopeful, long-term vision for a just UK goes far beyond this Budget, and even this Government. It needs not just policy reversals, but a deeper, renewed national commitment. The UK remains one of the wealthiest countries in the world, we have the wherewithal to end poverty, and polling shows consistently that the public want action to end poverty. So let’s get on with it. Let’s remind ourselves of the kind of future we want for our children and grandchildren, and let’s commit to ending poverty.”