Labour voters largely back two-child benefit cap, despite momentum to lift it
Poll shows 53% of Labour voters favor keeping the cap, even as party leadership faces pressure to scrap the policy at the Liverpool conference
A YouGov poll published Thursday indicates that a majority of Labour voters want to preserve the two-child benefit cap, even as internal party pressure mounts to scrap the policy. The survey found 53% of Labour voters think the limit should be kept, while 33% said it should be abolished and 14% were undecided. The finding comes as Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces intensifying calls from fellow Labour ministers, backbenchers, and trade union allies to reverse the cap, which has become a point of friction within the party as it seeks to project economic credibility alongside its social aims.
The two-child cap restricts Universal Credit or child tax credit for a third or additional child born after April 2017. Proponents of lifting the cap argue that doing so would be a direct rescues for families facing rising living costs and would be a more effective means of reducing child poverty, according to the party’s broader policy discussions. The YouGov poll also shows a strong tilt among voters overall: 59% think the cap should be kept, and 25% favor abolishing it, with 16% unsure. The disparate responses among Labour supporters and the broader electorate illustrate the political tightrope Starmer faces as he negotiates economic stewardship with social policy commitments.
In recent weeks, Labour ministers and backbenchers have pressed Sir Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves to lift the cap, arguing that ending the limit is the most effective way to pull children out of poverty. The policy debate has gained new texture as a government-commissioned child poverty taskforce is expected to produce recommendations that could include concessions on the cap. The scrutiny intensifies ahead of Labour’s conference in Liverpool, which kicks off over the coming weekend and is poised to shape how the party positions itself on welfare and fiscal responsibility.
The growing internal pressure is echoed by a chorus of prominent party figures. Deputy leadership candidates Bridget Phillipson and Lucy Powell have both attacked the cap, linking its removal to broader aims of social justice. Powell, writing in The Times, described the cap as a “ticking time bomb” and urged clarity about whose side Labour is on, arguing that lifting the cap would be a clear signal that the party is prioritizing child poverty reduction. In the same interview, she asserted that “lifting children out of poverty is a principle for Labour that we should be shouting louder about,” and that removing the cap would be “the most effective way to pull children out of poverty.” Phillipson has voiced similar sentiments, highlighting the need to be explicit about Labour’s stance on supporting families in hardship.
The policy divide has not gone unnoticed among the opposition benches. Tory shadow chancellor Mel Stride cautioned that scrapping the two-child cap would undercut what he described as “economic credibility” and could be seen as rewarding irresponsibility. Stride’s comments underscore the political risks for Labour in endorsing measures that could be portrayed as disincentivizing fiscal discipline, even as many in the party see the cap as a blunt instrument that fails to reflect the realities faced by many families.
The debate also taps into the dynamics that followed Labour’s 2024 general election victory. Early in the new administration, Starmer suspended seven Labour MPs who supported an amendment to scrap the cap, a move designed to demonstrate party unity and discourage internal challenges to policy direction. While the suspension signaled a commitment to discipline, it did not extinguish the appetite for revisiting the cap among some segments of the party and its trade union allies. Downing Street has not ruled out a future reversal as part of a broader strategy to address child poverty, leaving open the possibility that the cap could be altered or removed at a later date if circumstances and public support shift.
As Labour prepares for its conference in Liverpool, the party is balancing competing pressures: the need to present a fiscally credible platform to maintain government stability and the desire to demonstrate tangible action on reducing child poverty. The YouGov poll’s findings indicate that, at least among Labour voters, the case for keeping the cap remains persuasive. The question for the party leadership is whether it can reconcile voters’ priorities with the internal push from MPs and unions to lift the policy and, if so, how to frame a credible plan that continues to secure broad support.
The broader voter landscape suggests that the cap remains a politically potent symbol of how Labour would handle welfare and responsibility. While a majority of Labour voters favor preserving the policy, a substantial portion of the electorate is more inclined toward abolition, reflecting ongoing tensions about how to address poverty without seeming to reward laxity. The party’s challenge will be to translate the policy debate into a coherent narrative that resonates with voters who are concerned about both social justice and economic stability. With the conference imminent, observers will be watching for concrete signals about whether the cap will be revisited, retained, or redefined as part of Labour’s broader welfare strategy.