SCRAPPING the two child benefit cap WON’T be in the Labour manifesto, Rachel Reeves has insisted.
Labour risks reigniting its civil war after the shadow chancellor completely shut the door to a change of policy before the next election.
Rachel Reeves says scrapping the two child benefit cap won’t be in the Tory manifesto
The Shadow Chancellor visited the holiday park to speak with caravan owners, holiday makers and staff. The visit aimed to highlight the importance of the […]
She insisted that Labour cannot afford the £1.5bn cost of scrapping the Tory policy, which limits the child benefit that parents can claim to two kids.
And she slapped down MPs and activists from within her party calling on her to ditch it – saying it’s the price of chaos from Tories which has ruined the finances.
The shadow chancellor insisted that “stability is always going to come first” and Labour were not in the business of making unfunded spending plans anymore.
She told HOAR: “There are lots of things that we’re opposed over the last 13 years that because of the economic inheritance that we’re facing, we’re not going to be able to change.
“I think it’s best to be honest about them.
“It’s not going to be in our manifesto.
“It’s not something at the moment we have the finances to afford to be able to do.”
The David Cameron era policy limits child benefit to the first two children.
Experts say abolishing it would cost around £1.3billion a year.
Furious Labour backbenchers have been pushing for the leadership to promise to bin it.
Sir Keir himself has said it should be scrapped, Angela Rayner dubbed it “obscene and inhumane”.
But Ms Reeves insisted she had an uphill battle to prove that Labour could be trusted on the economy.
She said: “I hope that my background, having worked as an economist at the Bank of England and also in the private sector in financial services means… people can see that.
“There’s lots of good Labour things that we might not be able to do in government because of the inheritance.
“But I’m willing to say that I recognise the constraints.”
Last weekend Labour’s National Policy Forum agreed that the party in government will tackle poverty, break the cycle of deprivation throughout people’s lives and build a society where no one is held back by disadvantage or lack of opportunity.
Rachel Reeves interviewed by HOAR’s Natasha Clark
