The UK government is promoting its plan to introduce free breakfast clubs in all primary schools across England as a key initiative to reduce child poverty. However, the government appears to be rejecting the estimated £3bn annual cost needed to end the controversial two-child cap on benefits.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson recently announced the first 750 schools that will offer breakfast clubs, with 67,000 of the 180,000 pupils set to benefit coming from some of the most disadvantaged areas in the country.
The government is framing the breakfast club initiative not only as a way to improve school attendance and academic performance but also as a tool to combat poverty. According to Phillipson, breakfast clubs play an important role in the government’s efforts to address child poverty.
Labour’s general election pledge includes expanding the breakfast club scheme across all of England in its first term to improve educational standards and provide more opportunities for children. The Department for Education states that breakfast clubs are integral to its commitment to tackling child poverty.
Research has shown that breakfast clubs help children improve in key subjects like reading, writing, and mathematics, while also boosting focus and concentration in class.
However, some Labour MPs have expressed concern that while the breakfast clubs are a positive step, the government is using them to justify maintaining the two-child benefits cap. The cap, introduced by the Conservative government in 2017, prevents families from claiming child tax credits or universal credit for more than two children.
Labour MPs argue that removing the cap would be the most effective way to reduce poverty. They also propose extending the cap from two to three children, which they say would have minimal cost. Yet, government insiders have indicated that this suggestion has already been rejected by the government’s own child poverty taskforce. The taskforce, co-chaired by Phillipson and Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall, is expected to report before the spending review this summer.
Sources suggest that with Chancellor Rachel Reeves facing the challenge of balancing the public finances, it is unlikely that the cap will be lifted in the near future. One Labour source stated, “We need to manage expectations and make it clear that, given the current financial situation, scrapping the cap is not feasible. However, we are focused on other actions to tackle child poverty.”
