Government delays e-newsletter of kid poverty technique

The executive’s baby poverty technique, which were due for e-newsletter within the spring, has been not on time.

The Child Poverty Taskforce remains to be running at the technique and has been taking into consideration, amongst different measures, whether or not to scrap the two-child get advantages cap, a transfer some Labour MPs have lengthy been calling for.

The BBC has been informed the method might be set out within the autumn in time for the Budget, permitting ministers to mention how any coverage adjustments could be paid for.

A spokesperson mentioned the federal government was once “determined to bring down child poverty” and dedicated to publishing a method “later this year”.

“We’ve already expanded free breakfast clubs, introduced a cap on the cost of school uniforms, increased the national minimum wage for those on the lowest incomes, uprated benefits in April and supported 700,000 of the poorest families by introducing a Fair Repayment Rate on Universal Credit deductions.

“We will post an bold baby poverty technique later this 12 months to verify we ship fully-funded measures that take on the structural and root reasons of kid poverty around the nation,” the spokesperson added.

The lengthen, which was once first reported via the Guardian newspaper, was once branded “disgraceful” by the SNP.

The party’s work and pensions spokeswoman Kirsty Blackman accused Labour of being “extra considering imitating Nigel Farage than tackling the scourge of kid poverty, which has risen to document ranges on Keir Starmer’s watch”.

Dan Paskins, director of policy at Save the Children UK, said: “Every month that is going via whilst Keir Starmer does now not scrap the tough two-child prohibit way hundreds of kids are plunged into poverty.”

However, Helen Barnard, director of policy at the Trussell Trust charity said the delay “could also be excellent information”.

In a social media post, she said: “Better a not on time baby poverty technique with measures to truly give protection to youngsters from starvation and hardship, than one hitting the closing date however falling quick on substance.”

The Child Poverty Taskforce – which is being co-chaired by Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall and Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson – was launched last July.

It came at a time when the prime minister was coming under pressure from the SNP and some of his own MPs to scrap the two-child benefit cap.

The policy – which prevents most families from claiming means-tested benefits for any third or additional children born after April 2017 – was introduced in 2017 by the then-Conservative government and is estimated to affect 1.5 million families.

On coming into government last year, Labour ministers argued that they did not have the resources to lift the cap.

At the time, Sir Keir Starmer said there was no single policy that could solve a complex problem.

“The level of the taskforce is to plot a method, as we did when remaining in executive, to pressure those numbers down,” he told the House of Commons.

Seven Labour MPs were suspended from the parliamentary party for voting against the government on an amendment to scrap the cap. Four of these were readmitted in February but the remainder continue to sit as independent MPs.

Pressure to remove the cap has remained, with Labour figures such as former Prime Minister Gordon Brown saying it was “condemning youngsters to poverty”.

Concerns over the cap are part of a wider discussion in the Labour Party about benefit cuts.

Earlier this week, Neil Duncan-Jordan Poole MP told the BBC there is “an excessively wholesome debate within the Labour Party this present day about how we will have to be elevating price range somewhat than reducing advantages”.

On Wednesday, the prime minister announced a U-turn on removing winter fuel payments from all but the poorest pensioners.

In the House of Commons, he said he would make changes to allow “extra pensioners” to qualify for the money, but did not provide details on how many people this would affect or when the change would be implemented.

Labour backbench worries about the winter fuel payment – and other cuts to benefits – have intensified since the party’s poor performance in the recent local elections.

There may be complaint from the some within the Labour ranks over the federal government’s cuts to incapacity advantages, which shall be voted on subsequent month.