So, like, it looks like Sir Keir Starmer might be thinking about getting rid of that two-child benefit cap in the autumn budget. Nigel Farage is all up in his face about it, pushing him to appeal to those traditional Labour voters. The Reform leader is gonna make a big speech this week to promise that his party will scrap the cap and bring back winter fuel payments in full.
The prime minister, who totally shocked everyone at PMQs by saying he wanted to backtrack on the winter fuel cut, has mentioned before that he’d be down to lift the two-child cap if the government can afford it. Now, there’s talk that this controversial benefit restriction might be eased up when the chancellor drops the budget bomb later this year. Sir Keir apparently told his cabinet peeps that he wants to ditch the cap and asked the Treasury to figure out how to pay for it.
Seems like the government put a hold on releasing their child poverty strategy, which is expected to recommend scrapping the cap that George Osborne, the former Tory chancellor, brought in. Ministers are saying any changes to winter fuel payments, which were means-tested and taken away from over 10 million pensioners this winter, will only happen during the next fiscal event. The Financial Times is saying they might bring the benefit back for all pensioners and get the cash from the rich through taxes. Labour really took a hit in recent elections because of how unpopular that move was.
