'Children don’t choose their circumstances' says Corby MP as he speaks on lifting the two-child benefit cap
Corby’s MP spoke in Parliament yesterday as he and his Labour colleagues voted to scrap the controversial two-child benefit cap.
MPs overwhelmingly voted to lift the two-child benefit cap, which has meant that those families cannot claim benefits for more than two children.
The controversial policy was introduced by the Conservative government in 2017 but has been heavily criticised across the political spectrum for penalising families living in poverty.
MP for Corby and East Northants Lee Barron has long been in favour of scrapping the cap.
During yesterday’s parliamentary debate he said: “Reducing child poverty is the reason I came into politics.
"Children don’t choose their circumstances. They’re not to blame for low wages.
"They’re not to blame for insecure work. They’re not to blame for their parents’ pay packets.
"Yet they are the ones who feel the consequences the most.
"A child’s chances should not depend on their parents’ wages. A child’s future should not depend on whether mum or dad has a bad boss or a bad year.
"That’s why I was proud when this Government announced this policy and that 450,000 children will be lifted out of poverty by the end of this Parliament, and that includes over 3,000 children in Corby and East Northamptonshire.
"That’s not just a statistic. That’s 3,000 children, that’s 3,000 lives, that’s 3,000 futures, 3,000 chances.”
MPs yesterday voted 458 to 104 in favour of scrapping the cap at its second reading. Rosie Wrighting (Kettering) and Gen Kitchen (Wellingborough) also backed the Government plan.
The legislation must still face further scrutiny before it is passed into law, but yesterday’s vote was a big hurdle to its progress through Parliament.