2-CHILD CAP HITS 80,000 SCOTS KIDS

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- NEIL POORAN

THE two-child benefit cap has affected more than 80,000 children in Scotland in the last year, research commissioned by the SNP has found.

Analysis by the House of Commons Library also determined an additional 20,000 children in Scotland were placed into poverty as a result of the cap.

The news comes as Sir Keir Starmer faces pressure to commit to scrapping the two-child benefit cap if Labour win power.

His stance on the policy has prompted disquiet from some in his party.

The research for the SNP used the policy simulation tool UKMOD to estimate the effect of the policy since 2017.

If the policy was to be removed, about 30,000 fewer people would be in poverty in Scotland, including 20,000 children.

In Scotland, during the 2022/23 financial year, a total of 80,936 children live in households where the cap has reduced benefits.

It has been applied to a total of 32,616 children.