The Universal Credit Act now has been granted Royal Assent. The two child benefit cap is now gone and from next month, this new law will come into force.
This was a failed Tory experiment that punished innocent children and held too many families back. It was wrong then and it is right that a Labour government has scrapped it.
Here in Oldham, it affects 11,340 children, most of them in working families. That is around 1 in 5 children in our borough. Nationally, 1.6 million children were impacted, a million of them in working homes. Let that sink in.
This is what Labour governments do. We take action to lift children out of poverty:
Free breakfast clubs in every primary school, including 6 so far in Oldham West, Chadderton & Royton
Free school meals extended to nearly 10,000 more Oldham children
A plan to lift over half a million children out of poverty by 2030
This is not just morally right. It is economically smart. Supporting families means stronger local economies and better life chances for the next generation.
Let me be clear, ending the cap is not about luxury. Its about making sure children do not grow up in poverty. There is a false argument which sets the working poor against working poor, setting those with more than two children as undeserving. The real scandal is working families not earning enough to live a decent life.
Reform and the Tories would bring the cap back. We will not let that happen. This is our values in action and we are just getting started.
Jim McMahon OBE MP 