The government has unveiled its long-awaited strategy to tackle child poverty, pledging to lift 550,000 children out of poverty by the end of this parliament. The centrepiece of the plan is the abolition of the controversial two-child benefit cap, a move announced in Chancellor Rachel Reeves's budget last week.
The Core Measures of the Strategy
Revealed on Thursday 4 December 2025, the strategy outlines several key policies. Alongside scrapping the two-child limit from April, which is estimated to help 450,000 children at a cost of £3bn, the plan includes providing upfront childcare support for Universal Credit claimants returning to work. It also sets aside an £8m fund to stop families being placed in bed and breakfasts for more than six weeks.
Further measures involve reforms to reduce the cost of baby formula and introducing a new legal duty for councils to inform schools and health services when a child is placed into temporary accommodation. The government also highlighted its budget plan to cut energy bills by £150 annually and a previously promised £950m boost to a local housing fund, aimed at delivering 5,000 better temporary homes.
Charity Criticism and Political Opposition
Despite the headline figure, charities and opposition figures have branded the strategy as unambitious. With a record 4.5 million children (around 31%) living in poverty in the UK – 900,000 more since 2010/11 – campaigners had hoped for a comprehensive 10-year plan. Phillip Anderson of the National Children's Bureau told Sky News the plan was mainly a "summary of previously announced policies" and missed a crucial opportunity to set legally binding long-term targets.
The Conservative opposition criticised the approach, with Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride arguing that "work is the best way out of poverty" and labelling the budget a "budget for Benefits Street". The two-child cap, introduced by former Conservative Chancellor George Osborne in 2017, had meant affected households lost an average of £4,300 per year.
Calls for a Longer-Term Vision
Crossbench peer Lord Bird, founder of the Big Issue, supported lifting the cap but called for "more joined up thinking". He advocated for a ministry of poverty prevention and the resurrection of an expanded Sure Start-style programme. The government has announced 1,000 Best Start Family Hubs, but many feel rebranding them as 'Sure Start' would resonate more with the public.
Other charities, including Crisis and Shelter, urged the government to go further by unfreezing housing benefit and building more social rent homes. The Children's Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, suggested additional measures like free bus travel for school children would be necessary to truly end child poverty.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who is meeting families in Wales to promote the strategy, stated: "Too many children are growing up in poverty, held back from getting on in life... I will not stand by and watch that happen, because the cost of doing nothing is too high for children, for families and for Britain." The strategy follows the work of a child poverty taskforce established in July 2024.
