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.
03:10Welcome to basketball.
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