Labour leader calls on Holyrood to end ‘cruel’ two-child benefits cap

The “cruel” two-child benefits cap must be brought to an end in Scotland, Jeremy Corbyn has said.

Speaking in Edinburgh at a Christmas lunch attended by people who have experienced poverty, the Labour Party leader described the cap as “inhumane” and said much more must be done to tackle the issue of deprivation.

The cap was introduced by the UK Government in 2017 and limits tax credits and Universal Credit to a family’s first two children. Mr Corbyn said: “The two-child cap is inhumane across the UK and Scotland has the power to lift it.

“It penalises larger families and also, what’s the message to third, fourth and fifth children in large families, do they matter less? I say this with some feeling as I was fourth of four children.

“A Labour government in Westminster will completely redesign social security, but the Scottish Government has the power to make a difference to people’s lives right now. The SNP needs to stop enforcing this Tory policy, end the cruelty, and protect families in Scotland from the two-child cap.”

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard raised the issue at First Minister’s Questions at Holyrood last week. Mr Leonard said the cost of scrapping the policy in Scotland would represent 0.2% (£69 million) of the budget.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon stated it would not be affordable to lift the cap. She said: “This government does everything it can to mitigate UK welfare cuts.

“The fact that we cannot mitigate every cut is not a lack of political will, it’s a fact of basic arithmetic. We’ve used our tax powers and allocated all the resources at our disposal.”

Picture: Getty. Jeremy Corbyn poses for a selfie with a volunteer at Nelson Hall Community Centre in Edinburgh.