Starmer to accuse Reform and Tories of plunging children into poverty ahead two-child benefit cap vote

The Bill to end the cap will be formally introduced into Parliament on Thursday after Rachel Reeves announced the move in her November budget.

That decision followed pressure from backbench Labour MPs to abolish the cap, which the Government had initially shied away from doing on cost grounds.

Visiting Bedfordshire, the Prime Minister is expected to accuse Nigel Farage of "linking arms" with the Tories in a "cruel alliance to push kids who need help back into poverty".

He will say: "This child poverty pact is something that should worry us all. These aren't numbers on a spreadsheet - these are children's life chances at stake."

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Abolishing the limit is estimated to lift around 450,000 children out of poverty by 2030, at a cost of £3 billion per year.

The Conservatives have vowed to reintroduce the cap, with Kemi Badenoch describing the limit as "responsible".

Mr Farage has previously said his party would also abolish the two-child limit, but later clarified this would only be for families where both parents were British and working full-time.

Out of the 470,000 households affected by the cap, only 3,700 have two adults working full-time - less than 0.8 per cent of the total.

On Wednesday, Mr Farage told a press conference in London his MPs would vote against the Government's proposals.

Conservative shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride said the "most effective way to tackle child poverty is to build a stronger economy".

He said: "Labour's approach does the opposite. Because Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves do not have the backbone to stand up to their left-wing MPs, they are hiking welfare spending, paid for with higher taxes which are killing growth and costing jobs."

A Reform UK spokesman said: "We are a party that is pro-family and pro-children.

"This Labour Government is introducing a Bill that is going to benefit huge numbers of foreign-born people.

"Our policy prioritises British working parents."