Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has warned the two-child benefit cap is "holding back" children across the North East, calling child poverty a "deep moral scar." Speaking in North Tyneside, she renewed calls for the policy to be reconsidered and urged urgent action ahead of this month's Budget. Phillipson said ministers must weigh the cost of change against the long-term harm the cap does to families and children's life chances.
00:00The two-child benefit cap is holding back children trapped in poverty across the north-east, according to Bridget Philipson, the Education Secretary.
00:08She delivered the warning during a visit to her home region recently as she renewed calls for action ahead of this month's budget.
00:16Speaking in North Tyneside, Philipson, who has been pressing Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves to abolish the cap,
00:22described child poverty as a deep moral scar and said the Delayed Government Child Poverty Strategy would be published soon.
00:31In the north-east, around 170,000 children are estimated to be living below the poverty line, equating to roughly 31% of youngsters in the region.
00:41According to the North East Child Poverty Commission, approximately 70,000 children and young people are impacted by the benefits cap in this region,
00:50a policy which bars families claiming universal credit from receiving full support for a third or subsequent child.
00:57Campaigners have long argued that the cap is one of the major drivers of child poverty,
01:02with some estimates suggesting its removal could lift 350,000 children in the country out of deprivation overnight.
01:09But do you think the government will actually abolish the two-child benefit cap, and do you think it's a good idea?
01:14I think the two-child policy, I don't think they're going to scrap it, because I don't think much, I think there's big issues currently.
01:25Yeah, I think it's a good idea because there's loads of people who didn't know that they would need to claim benefits for more than two children before they had the children.
01:35So it wasn't like really in their minds. And I think it's a very good idea because we do need to support those families, especially in the North East where there's a lot of deprived areas and people who would need the extra money.
01:49I think that there's a lot that needs to be done. I think that they can help in a lot of other ways. You know, I think they've got to provide to the community in different areas, you know, maybe social care, mental health care,
02:07places that people can, like third places, you know, in the community. I think that's what's really missing.
02:13I think that it was quite an oversight to actually put this two-child cap. And I hope that the government actually does intervene and does remove the cap.
02:23There are other pressing issues currently, but I feel like it is, it is something that should take them out of precedence. It's just on a priority basis. It's just a lot of stuff in line that needs to fall into place.
02:37Yeah. During her visit to Battle Hill Primary School, Philipson said child poverty holds back our economy. It holds back our country and it is a deep moral score that we will tackle.
02:49She added that while social security changes are a key part of the solution, they must go hand in hand with greater investment in skills, affordable childcare and wider family support.
02:58is a business that we mind giving that family support.
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