Sir Keir Starmer has been criticised by a Scottish Labour MSP after he said it was not Labour policy to revoke the two-child benefit cap.
Monica Lennon said her colleagues were “scared of deselection” or “being exiled to backbenches” for speaking out, but that the policy, and the so-called “rape clause”, was “abhorrent.”
Last month, Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Jon Ashworth described the policy, introduced by George Osborne, as “heinous”.
He said it was “absolutely keeping children in poverty.”
READ MORE: Scottish households impacted by benefit cap has soared by 76 per cent during lockdown
In an interview with the Mirror, he pressed on whether Labour would abandon it, he replied: “We are very, very aware that this is one of the single most heinous elements of the system which is pushing children and families into poverty today.”
Taking questions from journalists on Thursday, Sir Keir was asked if scrapping the cap was Labour policy. He said: “In relation to the benefit cap, that isn’t our policy, and if that changes I’ll let you know.”
The two-child policy was introduced by George Osborne in his 2015 budget. It came into effect in 2017 after MPs backed the measure in the House of Commons.
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.
However, there is an exemption for families where that third child is conceived as a result of rape.
But the only way this clause can be used to bypass the cap is for the mother to disclose their rape.
A recent study found that the cap had been unsuccessful in increasing employment but had pushed families further into poverty and damage their mental health.
READ MORE: High schools 'beyond breaking point' as one in six at full capacity
After Sir Keir’s comments, Ms Lennon - a former leadership contender - took to Twitter to criticise the party leader.
She tweeted: “I know colleagues are scared of deselection, being exiled to backbenches, or not winning selections but if we don’t speak out then who will?
“The two-child benefit cap (aka the rape clause) is abhorrent and must be scrapped. @UKLabour policies must be progressive and humane.”
I know colleagues are scared of deselection, being exiled to backbenches, or not winning selections but if we don’t speak out then who will?
— Monica Lennon MSP (@MonicaLennon7) July 6, 2023
The two-child benefit cap (aka the rape clause) is abhorrent and must be scrapped. @UKLabour policies must be progressive and humane. https://t.co/GCuuXrF3sd
The SNP Westminster Leader, Stephen Flynn said: "With each passing day, pro-Brexit Labour become more and more indistinguishable from the Tories.
"Sir Keir Starmer's failure to commit to abolishing the cruel and callous two-child benefit cap will have shocked voters right across these isles, leaving many wondering what the Labour Party actually stand for.
"It is incumbent on both Sir Keir and Anas Sarwar to confirm that a future Labour UK government would scrap this callous and cruel policy on day one.
"Failure to do so will confirm that Labour aren't offering real change - they are only offering to copy disgraceful Tory policies."
During the speech, Sir Keir was interrupted by protesters accusing him of U-turning on green policy.
Two young people who had been part of the backdrop to the Labour leader’s address in Gillingham pulled out a banner and heckled him for watering down his climate ambition.
Sir Keir asked them to “let me finish” and said he would speak to them after his speech before they were led off the stage by security.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel