Phillipson presses Starmer and Reeves to abolish two-child benefit cap in full

Exclusive: education secretary tells the Guardian scrapping limit entirely in November’s budget most cost-effective way to tackle child poverty

Bridget Phillipson is pushing the prime minister and chancellor to scrap the two-child benefit cap entirely in next month’s budget, with the education secretary telling the Guardian the evidence is clear that it needs to be removed.

Phillipson, who is finalising a report to Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves on child poverty, said abolishing the cap was the most cost effective way to make lives better for young disadvantaged people.