UK Faith Leaders Urge End to Two-Child Benefit Cap Over Rising Child Poverty

Senior faith leaders from various religious communities, including the Church of England's Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell, have united in calling on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves to abolish the two-child benefit cap, describing it as a key driver of rising child poverty in the UK. They emphasize that the policy is morally indefensible and contributes to thousands of children living in deprivation, including going to school hungry and lacking basic necessities. The leaders support proposals, such as those from former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, to fund poverty reduction through gambling tax reforms and bank levies. The collective of 38 signatories argue that ending the two-child limit is not only a moral imperative but also the most cost-effective method to address child poverty. They highlight the urgency with the government’s delayed child poverty strategy expected in the autumn, with many children being pushed into poverty daily. The religious leaders urge the government to prioritize scrapping the benefit cap to secure the futures and dignity of millions of children across the nation.