Cabinet Minister and North East MP Bridget Phillipson met with families in Newcastle today to mark the official lifting of the two-child benefit cap, which was first introduced by the Conservatives in 2017. The policy restricted child tax credit and universal credit (UC) to the first two children in most households.
But after months of pressure from Labour backbenchers, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the cap would be lifted on April 6 when she delivered the budget in November. Speaking at an event at The Great North Museum, Ms Phillipson, the Education Secretary and MP for Houghton and Sunderland South, said ending the restriction on benefits for larger families would help lift more than 67,000 children in the North East out of poverty.
She also highlighted other measures that have come into effect at the start of April, including a 4.8% rise in the state pension, improved workers’ rights and cuts to energy bills. Read more about Ms Phillipson’s visit in Newcastle here.
