Coronavirus pandemic has exposed the benefit cap and two-child limit as ‘inherently arbitrary’, say anti-poverty campaigners

Letter to Guardian from 50 charities and faith groups urges government to lift policies now

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has exposed the benefit cap and two-child limit as 'inherently arbitrary', according to a letter to the Guardian from anti-poverty campaigners.

In today's letter - which has 50 signatories including the Child Poverty Action Group, Oxfam, and the Bishop of Durham - the campaigners highlight that, as the first universal credit payments come through for families who have had to claim it due to COVID-19, they will discover that there is no payment for a third or subsequent child due to the two-child limit.

The campaigners go on to say -

'The government’s rationale for the policy is that parents claiming universal credit or tax credits should face the same choices about the number of children they can afford as those supporting themselves solely through work. But the current national crisis has exposed that argument as untenable. Even in normal times, no parent can be sure that their financial security will withstand unpredictable events such as illness, bereavement or redundancy. Certainly no parent could have had foresight of COVID-19, and so planned their family size accordingly.'

Similarly, the campaigners say that the benefit cap can have no place during the current crisis because -

'Some parents are newly subject to the cap because their working hours have been cut, so they can no longer reach the earnings threshold at which they are exempted from the cap. Others won’t benefit from the government’s welcome increases in universal credit, tax credits and the local housing allowance because these increases mean they are hit by the cap. In neither case can most parents simply find a job (if one was available) or work more to escape being capped, given school closures, reduced childcare provision and social distancing.'

As a result, the campaigners conclude by saying -

'The pandemic has exposed the benefit cap and two-child limit as inherently arbitrary, when what is needed - during the pandemic and beyond - is a safety net that is strong, compassionate and just. We urge ministers to lift the policies now. '

The letter to the Guardian is available from guardian.com