I’m incredibly proud that this Budget delivers something I’ve campaigned for over many years, the end of the cruel two-child benefit cap.
Just last month, I joined local Labour councillors in Sheffield to call on the Government to scrap this policy, because I’ve seen first hand how this policy has pushed families in Sheffield Heeley into hardship.
Around 3,980 children here are growing up in households hit by the cap, children who deserve the same security, dignity and chance to thrive as any other. Nationally, ending the cap will lift 450,000 children out of poverty.
No child should ever be punished simply for being born into a larger family. Scrapping this limit is a compassionate and long-overdue step that will make an immediate difference to families who have been struggling for far too long.
This change moves us closer to the fair, supportive welfare system our country deserves, one that protects children, respects families, and invests in their futures. It’s a promise we made, and I’m so pleased we are finally delivering it.