Two-child benefit cap impact revealed in new food insecurity survey

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Research conducted by a charity has shown that families with more children are at a higher risk of facing food insecurity compared to families with two children or fewer. The study highlights the effects of the two-child benefit cap.

Data from the Food Foundation charity shows that last month, close to 25% of families with three children were not certain about where they would be able to obtain their meals.

Over 6,000 grown-ups were asked questions in the week before the general election. The findings were released shortly after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer successfully faced a challenge from seven of his fellow Members of Parliament in a vote on the divisive policy.

John McDonnell, Rebecca Long-Bailey, Apsana Begum, Richard Burgon, Ian Byrne, Imran Hussain, and Zarah Sultana were removed from their positions after voting to eliminate it.

The Food Foundation stated that their studies indicate urgent measures are required to ease the strain on families in the UK who are experiencing food insecurity.

An online questionnaire was given to 6,177 adults in the UK. They were asked if they had cut down on meals or missed them altogether in the past month due to financial constraints or lack of access to food. They were also asked if they had gone hungry without eating for the same reasons.

The survey, conducted by YouGov, revealed that 14 percent of households were deemed to have faced food insecurity based on these criteria.

Among families with kids, nearly 20 percent said they had trouble getting enough food, while only 12 percent of households without children reported the same issue.

The organization stated that the results show how the two-child benefit cap, which limits child tax credit and universal credit to the initial two children in many families, has a significant effect.

Around a quarter of families with three children and over a quarter of families with four or more children reported experiencing food insecurity, as found in the survey.

This contrasted with 17 percent of households that have one or two children.

Families with only one parent were almost two times more likely to struggle with not having enough food than families with more than one adult and child. This was seen in 31 percent of single-parent households compared to 16 percent of households with multiple adults and children.

Advocates have been urging for the elimination of the policy, which was implemented by the Conservative party in 2015 and has been active since 2017.

This week, seven members of the Labour party were temporarily removed from their positions for supporting a motion from the SNP to eliminate the measure.

Labour MP Kim Johnson stated that she had supported the government in order to promote unity, but she cautioned that the sentiment within her party was unmistakable.

"We made a change, the campaign will keep going," she stated.

Recently released data from the Department for Work and Pensions revealed that as of April this year, 1.6 million children were residing in households impacted by the policy. This number has increased from 1.5 million in April 2023.

The Labour party has attributed limited funds as the reason for not immediately abandoning the policy. They stated that the policy would remain unchanged until there is an increase in economic growth.

The Resolution Foundation, a research organization, has stated that getting rid of the rule limiting benefits to two children could cost the government around £2.5bn to £3.6bn in 2024/25. However, they argue that this cost is small compared to the negative impact of the current policy.

The Food Foundation has expressed support for the government's creation of a taskforce to address child poverty and develop a plan to address the underlying issues. However, the charity criticized the lack of immediate actions in the King's Speech, which they believe is necessary to help families in the UK who are struggling with hunger.

Shona Goudie, who works on policy and advocacy for the charity, once again urged for the removal of the cap. She also mentioned that there are additional actions the new government could implement simultaneously.

She requested that the government prioritize reducing children's lack of access to food as a key objective for the child poverty task force and Children's Wellbeing Bill. She emphasized the need for immediate action, such as ensuring that the national minimum/living wage and benefit levels are sufficient to cover basic necessities like food. Additionally, she advocated for expanding eligibility for programs like free school meals and Healthy Start, as well as eliminating the two-child benefit limit.

We have reached out to the Department for Work and Pensions for their input and response.