Anas Sarwar under pressure over Keir Starmer 'rape clause' u-turn

In an interview with the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg, Sir Keir refused to be drawn on a number of other spending commitments but was unequivocal on the welfare limit.

“We're not changing that,” he said.

That's despite scrapping the cap being a key vow in the party's 2019 general election manifesto.

Sir Keir also pledged to ditch the money saving measure when he stood in the 2020 leadership contest to replace Jeremy Corbyn

Even just two years ago, the party’s Holyrood manifesto said they would “use the full extent of the Scottish Parliament powers as well as working with UK colleagues to abolish the two-child cap, scrap the rape clause, and make split payments.”

READ MORE: Keir Starmer says Labour will not scrap two child benefit cap

Mercedes Villalba, Scottish Labour’s environment spokesperson, said there was no justification for the change of heart

She told The Herald: “The two-child limit has trapped 250,000 children in deep poverty.

"Scrapping it is one of those rare policies that has widespread support across the spectrum: with the public, across civil society, across the Party divides.

"It costs relatively little, it tackles poverty head on, in turn improving health and education outcomes, it pays dividends to the economy. It is the right thing to do on every level by any measure.

"That's why in 2019 UK Labour pledged to scrap the two-child limit. And why in 2020 Keir Starmer pledged to scrap the two-child limit. Because it is the right thing to do.

"There is no justification for a change to this position now, especially when to do so goes against our very values, and all reason.”

The North East list MSP added: "What should Anas Sarwar do? What every Labour member should do: stick to our principles and voice unequivocal support for scrapping the two-child limit at every available opportunity."

The two-child policy was introduced by George Osborne in his 2015 budget. It came into effect in 2017. 

It means that households claiming child tax credit or universal credit are unable to claim for a third or subsequent child born after 6 April 2017.

Earlier this week, the latest statistics revealed that 1.5 million children were growing up in families impacted by the cap.

Children's charities, including Barnados and the Child Poverty Action Group, have said this "tax on siblings" is the "biggest driver of rising child poverty in the UK today."

There is an exemption for families where a child is the result of “non-consensual conception.”

The only way this can be obtained is for the child's mother to disclose their rape to the Department for Work and Pensions.

There were 2,590 households affected by this so-called "rape clause" last year.

IPPR analysis suggests that nearly 80% of families with four children or more are forecast to fall into poverty.

READ MORE: Starmer blasted by Labour MSP over refusal to ditch 'rape clause'

Former Scottish Labour leadership hopeful, Monica Lennon said the party’s policy would be made by members, not by Sir Keir.

The MSP said: “Despite what’s said in tv studios, the manifesto for the next General Election hasn’t been written yet, so Labour members still have time to influence policy.

“Scottish Labour has been clear and consistent in opposing the two-child cap and that message should be loud and clear to the UK leadership.

“As well as listening to our loyal members and supporters who have long experienced and witnessed the impacts of Tory austerity, we need to listen to people around the country who are crying out for bold action to end poverty and decline in our communities.

“They need and want Labour to be offering them confident political change that will make their lives better.”

He was also criticised by First Minister Humza Yousaf, who tweeted: "Poverty experts say scrapping the two-child limit would lift up to 15,000 children in Scotland out of poverty. Why on earth is Starmer committed to keeping this cruel Tory policy?"

Chris Birt, Associate Director for Scotland for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation tweeted: "The two-child cap is a stigmatising attack on families struggling to get by. It actively causes child poverty.

"Who is even defending it now? Hard to believe that the politics of 'hungry children are fine with us' loses against 'they’ve modestly upped spending'."

Last week, when pushed for his thoughts on the cap, Mr Sarwar told journalists: "I think the point that has to stressed is that the economic carnage that an incoming Labour government is going to have to address is so stark that the idea that we can fix everything that they have broken straight away or that we can do everything we want right away isn't credible."

He added: "I continue to believe that universal credit needs to be reformed, and I'll continue to press a UK Labour government to make those changes, but it has got to be done within the fiscal rules that [Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves] has set out or ultimately working people pay the price."

READ MORE: Ben Wallace: Minister to quit Government and not stand again as MP

During the BBC interview, Sir Keir was pressed on spending more on public services. He said; “A Labour government always will invest in our public services.”

He criticised a lack of “long-term thinking” by the Conservative government.

“Take the NHS, the strains on the NHS are very different to the strains 75 years ago so we have to reform and change the NHS so it’s fit for the future.

“If all we do is simply patch up and keep going then we won’t fix the fundamentals and that’s why reform is so important.”

Pressed again if he would spend more money, he said: “A Labour government will always want to invest in its public services. The way to invest in our public services is to grow our economy.”

He said that would mean "responsible economics" coupled with reform.

Sir Keir suggested he did not mind if people brand him a fiscal conservative.

“I don’t mind what label people on me. I do want to make my argument. I do want to make my argument," he said.

“My argument is this. What was absolutely plain from last year’s mini-budget is if you lose control of the economy, it’s working people who pay.”

The leader of the opposition was then asked about specific policies. Asked if the two-child benefit cap would change under a Labour government, he replied: “We're not changing that.”

When asked about housing benefit, and whether it would be unfrozen, he said: “Well, we will set that out closer to the election or when we set that out. I'm not committing to that here.”

Asked if a Labour Government would look at Bank of England’s inflation, possibly raising it from 2% to 4%, he replied: “Well, again, that's something I think for us to address closer to the election.

“We've got probably two maybe three fiscal events before the election. We need to wait until we see what the state of the economy is.”

During the interview, Sir Keir said he would not detail specifics when asked how he would approach the public sector pay dispute differently.

“This is the Government’s problem. They as good as broke our public services, they’ve created a situation in which wages have been stagnant for many, many years and they need to sort out this mess.”

Asked how, Sir Keir said: “I’d do this differently by growing the economy. We have to grow, grow, grow our economy.”

Pressed further to give details on his plan, Sir Keir said: “We would be around the table negotiating and we would settle this dispute.

"I think many people would say ‘why has it taken this long even to have one step towards progress’ because many people have had their operations cancelled, many people have been deeply affected by these strikes.”