Chair of the Child of the North APPG issues statement following the removal of the two child cap

Today (Wednesday November 26, 2025) Chancellor  announced in the Autumn Budget that, from April 2026, the Government will be lifting the two-child benefit cap. This news has been warmly welcomed by the Child of the North All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), who have been pushing for this change since the APPG’s inception. Its Chair, Emma Lewell MP, has issued a statement following the announcement:

“Today’s announcement that the two-child cap has been lifted is a significant breakthrough that, at long last, puts people before policy. It marks the end of one of the most punitive social policies in recent history that has denied hundreds of thousands of children the support they deserved simply because of the size of their family. For the families who have struggled for years under this unjust restriction, this change offers not only relief, but the chance to build a life that is not shrouded in poverty and deprivation.

The lifting of the two-child cap marks a decisive step toward fairness and opportunity for all children. Even the most pragmatic economist would recognise this as an investment in our population. For too long, the policy punished children simply for being born into larger families. Evidence presented by the Child of the North APPG has, for some years, shown that hundreds of thousands of children were pushed into poverty because of the cap.

Now, with its removal, we can begin to reverse those damaging effects. It means that families will start to see tangible improvements in their financial stability, and their children will have better prospects in every aspect of their lives – from education and nutrition to mental health and future life chances. Perhaps most importantly, it means that from tomorrow up to 400,000 children will be lifted out of poverty.

By lifting the cap, we’ve corrected a long-standing injustice and taken a vital step toward building a healthier, more prosperous generation of young people that will no longer have a legacy that burdens them across the life course. I hope to see the changes are implemented swiftly so that families affected by this decision feel the benefits without unnecessary delay.”

Emma Lewell MP for South Shields, Chair of the Child of the North All-Party Parliamentary Group