Rachel Reeves blasts Reform and Tories over baby poverty – ‘in all places’
The Chancellor Rachel Reeves accused Nigel Farage of being ‘all over the place’ on the two child benefit limit as the Reform leader said his party would vote against the changes
Rachel Reeves has hit out at the Tories and Reform UK as the government introduces landmark legislation to scrap the cruel two-child benefit limit.
The Chancellor accused Nigel Farage of being “all over the place” on the issue as the Reform leader said his party would vote against the changes. Conservative chief Kemi Badenoch has said her party will bring back the two-child benefit limit, which has been blamed for trapping kids in poverty.
Speaking to The Mirror ahead of introducing legislation to banish the policy from the statute book, Ms Reeves said: “The really interesting point now is what are the Tories, what are Reform going to do? I think it’s pretty obvious from their response in the Budget that the Tories are going to vote against this – even though 60% of families affected by it are working families.
“And despite all of the evidence about the damage child poverty does not just to those families, but to the whole of society. Now, despite the fact Nigel Farage previously said he was in favour of scrapping this because he was the party of the family, now says he’s not in favour.” She added: “He’s all over the place and that’s the problem with Reform – they say ahead of the council elections if they get elected to run councils they’ll cut council tax and they get in and say ‘oh actually what we meant is we’re going to increase council tax. It’s the same on this.”
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Keir Starmer will also warn on Thursday that Tory and Reform UK plans would result in hundreds of thousands of kids being plunged back into poverty if they win power. On a visit to Bedfordshire, Mr Starmer will say: “Nigel Farage seems intent on linking arms with the Conservatives in a cruel alliance to push kids who need help back into poverty. This child poverty pact is something that should worry us all. These aren’t numbers on a spreadsheet – these are children’s life chances at stake.”
Labour’s analysis warned bringing back the policy – as proposed by the Conservatives – would drag 470,000 children back into poverty. The party added that under Reform’s tweaks to the policy, which restricts Child Tax Credits and Universal Credit to the first two kids in a family, just 3,700 kids would be helped.
Last year Mr Farage said his party would abolish the two-child limit – but later clarified this would only be for families where both parents were British and working full-time. Labour said this would help less than 1% of the total number of kids hit by the policy.
Mr Starmer will add: “Labour chooses the other road – lifting almost half a million kids out of child poverty – and that’s what we’re doing this year. It’s the right thing to do for them, their families and our economy. It’s astonishing that Reform and the Tories would undo that change and leave a lost generation of kids in every corner of Britain.
“This year Britain is turning a corner, and we’re not leaving anyone behind. That’s the change you get with Labour – and I’m determined to make sure people right across Britain feel that change this year. We can, and we will, build a Britain built for all.”
Ms Reeves announced at last year’s Budget she would scrap the two-child benefit limit to lift 450,000 kids out of poverty in a move that was welcomed by child poverty campaigners. But she dismissed calls on Wednesday for legally binding targets on child poverty, which campaigners claim would bind the hands of future governments.
The Chancellor told The Mirror: “That’s only legislation that could also be overturned by a simple majority. The only way to stop the Tories and Reform from reversing these changes is to keep on voting for a Labour government. These changes whether it’s on childcare, breakfast clubs, free school meals, capping the cost of school uniforms, or most significantly scrapping the two-child limit, those things are only safe with a Labour government.
She added: “I know that some people say ‘oh there’s no difference – the politicians are all the same’. Well for the 550,000 kids who at the end of this Parliament are going to be going to bed not in a cold home, but in warm home, who are going to be going to school fed, not hungry, who are going to be sleeping at night in a property without mould, rather than with mould, actually there is quite a big difference in politics between the big parties. And I think this exemplifies it.”
