[Church of England] A group of bishops have joined with members of Parliament and peers from a range of parties in a joint letter to the prime minister, calling for the “immediate, complete removal” of the two-child limit on benefits.
Among signatories to the letter to Sir Keir Starmer handed to Downing Street on Oct. 21 were Leicester Bishop Martyn Snow, the Church of England’s lead bishop for child poverty issues, along with Gloucester Bishop Rachel Treweek and Manchester Bishop David Walker.
The letter, led by the Labour peer and expert on poverty, Baroness Lister, and promoted by the group Alliance 4 Children, welcomes reports that the Government may be considering ending the limit but says any abolition must be total.
Economic growth and national renewal must, it argues, be “built on a foundation of human potential.” It continues, “Allowing child poverty to deepen is a self-defeating policy that undermines these very ambitions. The children and families affected by this policy cannot afford to wait any longer. According to the Child Poverty Action Group, more than 100 children are pulled into poverty every single day the limit remains in place.”
“This is an urgent crisis requiring urgent action,” the letter said.