A single mother of three has said scrapping the two-child benefit cap would tackle the stigma which made her feel she was a “burden” on her community.
Thea Jaffe, who lives in north London, said lifting the limit would bring a boost to mental well-being, as well as material relief, to mothers like her – who she feels have been stigmatised by the policy.
Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves have both hinted that the the two-child limit, which prevents families from claiming universal credit or tax credits on a third or subsequent children, will be scrapped at the Budget this month.
The policy, introduced by Conservative chancellor George Osborne in 2017, has come under criticism from many MPs as well as former prime minister Gordon Brown, who said it should be abolished to tackle the “scar” of poverty in Britain.
Charities and think-tanks have said the policy is one of the main contributors to child poverty in the UK.
Scrapping the limit in full would cost the Treasury around £3.5bn but would lift 500,000 children out of poverty, according to think-tank Resolution Foundation.
Ms Jaffe, who has three children aged two, three and ten, told The i Paper lifting the cap would undo a “harmful” narrative that families like hers are to blame for their poverty.
She said: “Ending the limit won’t fix everything, but it will start to undo a narrative that has harmed families like mine for years.
“I hope the Government not only ends the limit, but actively advocates for us, and supports affected families in rebuilding our confidence and recovering from eight years of a policy that, for many children, has taken away too much of their childhood.”
Ms Jaffe works full-time as an account development manager, earning £45,000 per year, but spends much of her weekends searching for ways to make ends meet.
Two-child limit ‘penalises disadvantaged children’
She said she buys food using free shopping vouchers she gets from taking part in research studies and makes small sums from selling online books and appliances that she finds left on the street in her area.
“I dread weekends,” she said. “It should be a time to take my kids to the park, spend time with them, relax, play games, puzzles, whatever. But while I’m doing those things, if I’m able to do those things, my brain is full of problems.
“It has put so much pressure on my mental health. I am a broken person. I’ve started having panic attacks.”
Figures within the Labour Party have been pushing for the Government to remove the cap.
Before Starmer suggested the limit will be scrapped in the upcoming Budget, Labour Party deputy leader Lucy Powell broke ranks to urge the Government to act, saying the cap leads to “grotesque levels” of poverty.
Ms Jaffe said: “Policies like the two-child limit normalise poverty. They normalise blaming the economic situation on the person who’s the victim of it. […] Nobody should have to justify their reproductive choices.”
Dan Paskins, executive director of UK impact at Save the Children, told The i Paper: “For far too long, the most disadvantaged children in society have been penalised, simply for having more than one sibling. Now is the time to put an end to this injustice.”
Your next read
square MORTGAGE Investigation‘We had a Northern Rock mortgage – 20 years on, we’re in a caravan’
square CARSThe cars still available on the Motability scheme if luxury models are cut
square SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS‘I’m a primary school teacher – having more SEND pupils is an impossible task’
square DONALD TRUMP AnalysisTrump thought Gulf monarchs would rebuild Gaza. Then he told them his plan
Though the Government is expected to scrap the limit, experts have warned this might not be enough to tackle the financial hardship facing families on universal credit.
Reeves must increase the local housing allowance, a benefit paid to help families meet private rental costs, if she hopes to achieve “sustained child poverty reduction”, the Resolution Foundation said.
Hence then, the article about i m a single mum of three the two child benefit cap makes me feel like a burden was published today ( ) and is available on inews ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( I’m a single mum of three – the two-child benefit cap makes me feel like a burden )
Also on site :