Two-child limit to be abolished in major victory for anti-poverty campaigners

The government has announced that the two-child limit – a flagship welfare restriction preventing families from receiving Universal Credit for their third and subsequent children – will be scrapped, in what campaigners have hailed as a landmark moment in efforts to tackle child poverty.

The policy, introduced in 2017, removes £3,514 a year in support for each child beyond the first two, affecting around 1.6 million children across the UK. Research by the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) suggests ending the limit will immediately lift 350,000 children out of poverty and reduce the severity of poverty for a further 800,000.

Social work organisations have long argued that the policy deepened hardship and contributed to child welfare concerns. It was a core recommendation of BASW’s 2024 General Election Manifesto for Social Work and featured prominently in the profession’s Social Work Stands Against Poverty campaign.

BASW UK’s Interim Chief Executive, Professor Sam Baron, welcomed the Chancellor’s announcement, saying: “It is fantastic that the government has recognised that the two-child limit has impoverished families who simply do not have enough money.

“Being a parent is tough, being a parent in poverty is harder… Scrapping this damaging and punitive policy will lift thousands of children out of hardship and make a massive difference to countless families across the UK who desperately need more help.”

CPAG chief executive Alison Garnham also praised the decision, calling it “transformational for children” and saying: “Every child deserves the best start in life and with today’s decision government has done the right thing.”

Parents who have been directly affected by the policy described the immediate difference the change will make.

One mother, who has three children and whose husband works full time, said: “This will make a big difference because we’ve had to incur debts… I could buy a new mattress for two of my children. They can feel the springs on the mattresses they’ve got that they’ve had for many years.”

Another mother of four, said the additional support will cover childcare costs so she can work more shifts: “Support for each of my children would also mean they can have better quality food rather than always the cheapest. We are living breadline to breadline.”

One of the mothers represented by CPAG in a legal challenge to the policy’s ‘rape clause’, known to the court as EFG, said: “Finally, all of my children will be seen as equals in life and not just a number… To make children suffer is morally wrong and should never have happened.”

Campaigners stress that while the announcement marks a turning point, further action will be needed to reverse record levels of child poverty. BASW has pledged to continue pressing ministers to deliver wider reforms as part of a comprehensive child poverty strategy.