Overview

• Care minister Stephen Kinnock says discussions on lifting the cap are ongoing but emphasizes that repeal is a decision for the Chancellor, not current government policy.
• Chancellor Rachel Reeves will deliver her second fiscal statement in October, setting the timetable for any change to the two-child limit.
• Former leader Lord Neil Kinnock has urged Labour to abolish the cap, claiming it could reduce child poverty by about 600,000 and reinforcing calls from charities and some MPs.
• Independent forecasts from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research warn of a roughly £50 billion hole in public finances, constraining options to repeal the cap.
• Seven Labour MPs faced suspension last July for backing an SNP move to ditch the cap, underscoring ongoing party divisions over welfare reform.