Downing Street’s U-turn on changes to welfare last week will make it harder to implement other policies such as potentially scrapping the two-child benefit cap, Bridget Phillipson has said.
The education minister said Labour was still committed to tackling child poverty but, when asked whether the backbench rebellion that resulted in about £5bn of annual savings on welfare being scrapped had diminished the chances of the cap being removed, she said it would have an impact.
“The decisions that have been taken in the last week do make future decisions harder,” she told BBC One’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg. “But all of that said, we will look at this collectively in terms of all of the ways that we can lift children out of poverty.”
She added: “The mission that we’re driving across government is about making sure that background doesn’t determine success, because for far too many children in our country, the family that they’re born into, the town that they’re born into, will absolutely determine their life chances.”
Asked the same question on Sky’s Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Phillipson said: “The changes in the last week, of course, have come at a cost, and we have been upfront about that.”
She added that a child poverty taskforce she was leading with the work and pensions secretary, Liz Kendall, was “looking at every way that we can lift more children out of poverty”.
Measures already taken include an expansion of the eligibility for free school meals, plus the plan announced on Sunday for one-stop family hubs across England to offer parents advice and support, intended to in part replace the Sure Start system introduced under the previous Labour government and then hugely cut back by the Conservatives.
Phillipson said she had heard the views of the many Labour backbenchers and child poverty charities who wanted the two-child benefit cap removed.
The cap, which limits parents to claiming many means-tested benefits for their first two children, apart from in very limited circumstances, was introduced under the Conservatives.
Experts say scrapping it would be the single most effective way of reducing child poverty. They say about 100 children are pulled into poverty every day by the limit.
skip past newsletter promotion
Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it matters
Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
after newsletter promotion
Phillipson said: “But they [the Labour backbenchers and charities] will appreciate, as we all do, that any change we set out in this area or in any other area, we’ve got to be clear about what the cost is and how we make sure that the numbers add up.”
The taskforce, she said, was “considering all of the ways in which we can make sure that we have a fairer and more equal society and a country where children are not scarred by child poverty”.
She added: “My message to my colleagues, to parents, to campaigners and to everybody watching this morning, is that this Labour government is serious about tackling child poverty.”
Quick Guide
Contact us about this story
Show
The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know.
If you have something to share on this subject you can contact us confidentially using the following methods.
Secure Messaging in the Guardian app
The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said.
If you don’t already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and go to the menu. Select ‘Secure Messaging’.
SecureDrop, instant messengers, email, telephone and post
See our guide at theguardian.com/tips for alternative methods and the pros and cons of each.
Illustration: Guardian Design / Rich Cousins
Thank you for your feedback.