The Archbishop of Canterbury has condemned the ‘cruel’ two-child benefit cap in his latest foray into politics.
Justin Welby urged Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer to axe the limit on handouts for families, saying it was ‘neither moral nor necessary’ and ‘falls short of our values as a society’.
The PM has committed to keep the policy if the Tories remain in power after the general election, while Sir Keir has so far resisted calls to scrap it despite pressure from Gordon Brown and many of his own MPs.
The cap, which was introduced in 2017, restricts child tax credit and universal credit to the first two children in most households.
The archbishop has come under fire for taking strident positions on delicate political issues, having railed against Mr Sunak’s Rwanda deportation plan.
The Archbishop of Canterbury has condemned the ‘cruel’ two-child benefit cap in his latest foray into politics
Justin Welby urged Rishi Sunak (pictured) and Keir Starmer to axe the limit on families, saying it was ‘neither moral nor necessary’ and ‘falls short of our values as a society’
Sir Keir was challenged on his position when he launched his plan for Labour’s ‘first steps’ in office on Thursday
He told the Observer: ‘The two-child limit falls short of our values as a society. It denies the truth that all children are of equal and immeasurable worth, and will have an impact on their long-term health, wellbeing and educational outcomes.’
Sir Keir was challenged on his position when he launched his plan for Labour’s ‘first steps’ in office on Thursday.
He said tackling child poverty was ‘central to an incoming Labour government’ but ‘what I can’t do is make promises that I can’t deliver on’.
But the Archbishop of Canterbury said: ‘This cruel policy is neither moral nor necessary.
‘We are a country that can and should provide for those most in need, following the example of Jesus Christ, who served the poorest in society.
‘As a meaningful step towards ending poverty, and recognising the growing concern across the political spectrum, I urge all parties to commit to abolishing the two-child limit.’
Mr Welby has previously denied that the Church is ‘party political’.
‘We do not pick causes by opinion polls or human pressure, we show love-in-action and word because of who God is, revealed in Jesus,’ he said in an Easter sermon.
Last week Mr Brown turned up the heat on Sir Keir to shift his position.
The former PM insisted: ‘It’s not the third or the fourth child who is the only child that loses out.
‘It’s every child because the average loss per family is about £60-per-week. A family on low pay or who is struggling can’t afford to lose £60-per-week.’
Sir Keir has so far resisted calls to scrap the two-chid cap despite pressure from Gordon Brown (pictured) and many of his own MPs