Question Time host grills Scottish Labour leader over Budget decision
Fiona Bruce and Anas Sarwar (Image: BBC)
Fiona Bruce grilled a Labour politician over the timing of the decision to scrap the two-child benefit cap on tonight’s Question Time. The BBC host pressed Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar why it was now a “moral mission” after Sir Keir Starmer refused to do so the year before.
The moment came as the show in Paisley discussed whether the lifting of the cap, announced by the Chancellor at last month’s Budget, is fair to taxpayers. Bruce said: “Hang on, why is lifting the two-child benefit cap for Labour a moral mission this year and last year it just wasn’t?”
Mr Sarwar replied: “First of all you can only make decisions when you know where the money is coming from…”
Bruce interrupted: “But there’s not suddenly more money this year, that’s why taxes are going up.”
Mr Sarwar went on: “That’s why it was important we identified that money. But the reason why it’s a moral mission is I don’t think it would be acceptable after the 15 years of damage we’ve had from the Conservatives that a Labour Government, people who came into politics because they wanted to fight and eradicate poverty, we would see child poverty numbers going up.
“That’s why we needed the urgent action and I will wholeheartedly support that urgent action to lift half a million kids out of poverty.”
Labour stripped the whip from seven of its MPs who rebelled over the two-child benefit cap in 2024 and backed an SNP amendment calling for it to be ditched.
But Rachel Reeves announced the cap would be removed in her tax-hiking Budget last month.
The Prime Minister has faced accusations that the move was aimed at shoring up his position amid Labour’s plummeting poll ratings.
The move to scrap the two-child benefits limit from April next year will result in an estimated reduction of child poverty by 450,000 by 2029/30 at a cost of £3 billion.
