Scrapping the two-child limit to lift children out of poverty and boost local economies
Quick Links:
- the data on the number of children impacted by the two-child limit in each Westminster Constituency
- report
- Take action: email your MP
- Read our press release
I am a single parent to three children. My youngest was born in May 2017 – so we were one of the first families to be hit by the two-child limit. This policy had a huge impact on our family. I had to put my 3-month-old son into childcare so that I could go and wash pots in order to pay for essentials. I often had to choose between paying for new clothes for my children or paying the gas and electricity bill. I had to take out loans to be able to afford food.
Today, I am still impacted by this policy psychologically. My children have even said that they don’t want kids of their own because they have seen me struggle.
Rosie, mother to three children, impacted by the two-child limit.
The two-child limit has now been in place for 8 years – pushing families with children in to poverty. But it doesn’t have to be this way. The government could scrap the two-child limit immediately and lift 350,000 children out of poverty – and provide a economic boost to local areas.
A summary of the data:
- Every constituency across the UK is home to children impacted by the two-child limit. 1 in 9 children across the UK are affected by this policy.
- Some constituencies have much higher numbers of impacted children, as high as 1 in 3.
- Families are losing out on £3,514 per child impacted in 2025/26.
- Scrapping the two-child limit is the most cost-effective way to lift children out of poverty.
- There is a strong positive correlation between the percentage of children living in poverty in constituencies, and the percentage of children impacted by the policy.
- Whilst there is a cost to scrapping the policy, doing so would provide a targeted way to boost economies in some of the most deprived areas.
- Constituencies with the highest number of children impacted would see an increase in funding in their local economy of up to £19 million annually.
- Deprived areas especially could see a huge boost to local economies if the policy was scrapped; Liverpool Riverside, ranked the most deprived constituency in England, could gain £5.2 million annually. Birmingham Ladywood, the fourth most deprived area could gain £16 million annually, and Bradford East – the ninth most deprived area could gain £11 million annually.
