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Zia Yusuf described the axing of the two-child benefit cap as a ‘sick insult’ (Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
When Sir Keir Starmer writes his memoirs, you can bet he will boast that two of his proudest moments as Prime Minister were (a) refusing to join President Trump in military strikes<\/a> on Iran and (b) scrapping the benefit<\/a> cap which meant for nearly a decade parents could only claim universal credit or tax credits for their first two children.<\/p>\n Reform UK and the Conservatives<\/a> are on a mission to turn this welfare<\/a> milestone into an electoral disaster. Zia Yusuf, the man who will be Home Secretary if Nigel Farage<\/a> becomes Prime Minister, took to X to describe the axing of the cap as \u201ca sick insult to British people\u201d. He claimed the \u201cbig winners are foreign-born households\u201d, and the \u201cbig losers are British taxpayers\u201d.<\/p>\n Labour MPs will argue on the doorsteps in the weeks leading up to May 7 local elections that the big winners are the 450,000 children the Government says will be lifted out of poverty.<\/p>\n With Labour expected to perform catastrophically at the polls, Sir Keir will hope that scrapping the benefit cap will boost his chances of surviving as PM. Shortly after Labour took office, MPs lost the whip for daring to vote to end the cap. But the PM has now bowed to pressure from Left-wingers and a host of charities, and larger families can look forward to a windfall.<\/p>\n The highest number of children who will benefit from lifting the cap are found in areas where Labour cannot afford to lose MPs<\/a> and councillors, including London (239,270), the North West (211,000) and the West Midlands (184,590). According to one analysis, around 480,000 families with three-plus children can look forward to an average rise of \u00a34,100 a year.<\/p>\n Read more: Fury as \u00a318bn welfare hike could pay for 15 Navy frigates <\/a><\/p>\n Read more: Top Labour insider warns ‘monumental mistake’ if Starmer ditches benefits reform <\/a><\/p>\n The Conservatives have condemned this as a spending splurge which will \u201creward worklessness and leave working families picking up the tab\u201d.<\/p>\n This comes at a time of high taxes when households across Britain face a new cost of living<\/a> crisis with surging energy bills and yet more hikes in food prices. The Tories<\/a> and Reform know many voters will doubt that this is the right moment to adopt a more generous benefits policy \u2013 especially when Sir Keir has failed to bring the UK\u2019s rocketing welfare bill under control.<\/p>\n There are regular headlines about the urgent need to rebuild Britain\u2019s armed forces in the face of a host of dangers but Sir Keir is now channeling taxpayers\u2019 cash towards bigger families \u2013 a policy which is expected to cost \u00a33billion in 2029-30.<\/p>\n Mr Yusuf claims 341,000 households with three or more children are \u201cforeign-born\u201d. Defenders of scrapping the cap will hit back, saying there is no guarantee these families are on benefits, that many of the heads of these households will be in well-paid jobs, and that British children should not be penalised for having an overseas-born parent.<\/p>\n Earlier this year the Department for Work and Pensions claimed the \u201cproportion of Universal Credit claimants who are foreign nationals has fallen since October 2024, from 17.1% to 15.7%\u201d while the share who are who are British or Irish increased.<\/p>\n
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