Overview

• Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said she is ashamed of current child poverty levels and confirmed social security options are under review.
• Thirty-eight senior faith leaders, including Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell and Lord Rowan Williams, urged the government to end the two-child limit in an open letter.
• The government said an upcoming strategy will tackle root causes of poverty and highlighted £500 million for children’s development and a new £1 billion crisis support package.
• The two-child limit, introduced in 2017, restricts child tax credit and universal credit support to the first two children in most households.
• The Institute for Fiscal Studies estimates that scrapping the two-child limit and the separate benefits cap would cost about £3.3 billion a year, as Conservatives defend the policy and Reform UK calls for repeal without setting out funding.