Keir Starmer Backs Scottish Plan to Scrap Two-Child Benefit Cap by 2026

The Labour leader agrees to cooperate with the SNP’s proposal, while maintaining the cap in England and stressing broader anti-poverty strategies.

• The Scottish Government, led by First Minister John Swinney, plans to scrap the two-child benefit cap in 2026, a policy introduced by the Conservatives in 2017.
• Keir Starmer has pledged to work constructively with the SNP on accessing UK Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) data needed to implement the change in Scotland.
• Labour MPs and activists are urging Starmer to apply the same policy across the UK, but he has stated that funding constraints prevent this at present.
• The Scottish Government has allocated £3 million in its 2025-26 budget for preparatory work, with the full cost estimated at £150 million, though details on funding remain unclear.
• The SNP frames the policy as a central part of its mission to reduce child poverty, while critics, including some Labour figures, question the financial feasibility of the plan.

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