A major change to the benefits system is set to boost the incomes of hundreds of thousands of families across the UK, with one Nottingham mother welcoming a significant increase in her payments.
Windfall for families as policy is scrapped
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced the abolition of the controversial two-child limit on benefits, a policy introduced by a previous government. The move, made in the House of Commons, means that families will now receive support for all their children through Universal Credit.
Labour MP Ruth Cadbury, chair of the transport select committee, stated the decision would lift nearly half a million children out of poverty "at the stroke of a pen". Chancellor Reeves declared she would not "preside over a status quo that punishes children for the circumstances of their birth".
"It's going to make my big family dream come true"
Among those directly affected is Chelsea Lealand, a 28-year-old single mother of three from Nottingham. The former hairdresser and carer, who lives in a three-bedroom council house, has been claiming Universal Credit for almost three years.
With the removal of the cap, her annual benefit entitlement is set to jump from £28,628 to £32,480. She described the news as a "Christmas windfall".
"This is brilliant. I’ll get money for my third child and more cash when I have my fourth baby," Ms Lealand said. "I don’t currently receive anything for the baby and have to stretch the Universal Credit payments. This plan is going to make my big family dream come true."
She also hit back at critics, stating: "I’m sick of people being morally outraged and calling me a scrounger. Don’t blame me, blame the Government and Reeves. It’s her decision, not mine."
Political reaction and analysis
The policy shift has sparked a range of reactions from across the political spectrum. While hailed by Labour backbenchers as a crucial step against child poverty, it has faced criticism from other parties.
Adrian Ramsay, the Green party’s Treasury spokesperson, argued that Labour ministers had "chosen to paper over the cracks with half measures that won’t do enough to fix the deep-rooted problems in our economy that are keeping ordinary people in poverty while the super-rich get richer".
Within Labour, one frontbencher suggested the move had helped secure support from the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP), buying the chancellor "time and respect" to pursue further economic plans.
The change marks one of the first major welfare reforms undertaken by the new government, directly impacting the budgets of families like Ms Lealand's across the country.
