Overview
- Chancellor Rachel Reeves has indicated she plans to end the two-child rule in the 26 November budget, though the final decision has not been announced.
- Advocates say gains from removing the policy would be curtailed unless the separate benefit cap is also lifted, particularly for families facing high rents.
- Save the Children links the current framework to nearly 1.7 million children in almost half a million families living in poverty, with 109 more children pushed into hardship each day.
- Campaigners highlight that 82% of capped households include children and that single parents form the vast majority, with many effectively forced to seek work earlier than official rules require.
- Dozens of high-profile figures backed a Trussell appeal urging the government to fully remove the limit to protect children from hunger.