End of two-child benefit cap will help 2,760 youngsters in Wolverhampton, says MP

Government proposals to end the limit on child benefit passed their third reading in the House of Commons this week, meaning they will shortly become law.

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Warinder Juss, MP for Wolverhampton West, said the two-child limit had pushed hundreds of thousands of children into poverty, damaging their health, their education and their opportunities in life.

He said 2,760 children across the city would benefit from ending the cap, including 84 in his own constituency.

Mr Juss said children growing up in poverty were more likely to suffer from obesity and health problems, and were less likely to do well at school, with fewer than one in four children achieving five good GCSEs.

They were more likely to face unemployment, losing up to £1 million in earnings over the course of their lives.

"In Wolverhampton West alone, an estimated 840 children will benefit from this change, giving them the foundation they need to succeed in school and go on to get secure, well-paid jobs," said Mr Juss.

"Removing the two-child limit is not just right thing to do, it’s an investment in a generation that will fill skills gaps and drive our economy forward for decades to come.

"By intervening now to tackle the root causes of child poverty, we are giving thousands of children a better chance to come to school ready to learn, setting themselves up to succeed and go on to have secure, well-paid jobs."

He said ending the cap could also help to address skill shortages across the country. 

"In the UK, there are skills shortages in jobs such as care workers, home carers and software developers due to employers being unable to find applicants with the right skills, qualifications or experience to fulfil roles. Lifting children out of poverty will not only benefit families in the short term but is an investment that will help bolster Britain’s future workforce."

The Government says removing the two-child limit would lift 450,000 children out of poverty by the final year of this parliament. Other measures, including the extension to free school meals, would add 100,000 to these numbers.