Bishop of Manchester urges Government to scrap two-child limit on Universal Credit, saying it 'drives' more children into poverty

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

The Bishop of Manchester has vociferously urged the Government to remove the two-child limit on Universal Credit to tackle child poverty.

The Rt Rev David Walker argued the rule was 'the greatest contributor to driving more children into poverty'. His Private Member's Bill entitled Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Bill has now passed in the House of Lords and will go to the House of Commons to be considered.

However, without the support of the Government, it may struggle to get traction when considered by MPs. Rt Rev Walker told peers in the Lords: "In less than two weeks it will be the six-year anniversary of the introduction of the two-child limit, restricting Universal Credit support to only the first two children of a family…While the policy aimed to address the root cause of poverty, the two-child limit has instead become the greatest contributor to driving more children into poverty. "It impacts an estimated 1.3 million children, disproportionately affecting children of certain religions and ethnic minority backgrounds. "Just this week, in their new report A Crisis on our Doorstep, Barnardo's have included a recommendation that this policy should be removed. "Most families this policy applies to are already in work, negating the reasoning behind the policy of ensuring that those on benefits face the same decision as those in work. "In some circumstances, the policies force parents to instead make a different decision, the choice between terminating an otherwise wanted pregnancy, or raising a family for which they cannot properly provide.

This is a choice no parent should be faced with." He added: "Life can be unpredictable. Larger families who fall on hard times, whether it be due to losing a job,