Starmer says government 'will look at' scrapping two-child benefits limit
In his strongest hint yet that he will perform a U-turn - when asked if he would scrap the two-child benefit cap, Sir Keir said: "We'll look at all options of driving down child poverty."
The cap means families can only claim child tax credit and universal credit for their first two children, if they were born after April 2017.
It was introduced in 2017 by the Conservative government, and in 2023, Sir Keir ruled out scrapping it.
However, as Labour came to power last year, he said the party wanted to remove the cap but only when fiscal conditions allowed.
But he then doubled down on refusing to lift it, suspending seven Labour MPs shortly after the election victory for voting with the SNP to remove the cap.
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Ministers had toed the party line for months, but the narrative started to shift in May, with Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson telling Sky News on Tuesday lifting the cap is "not off the table" - and "it's certainly something that we're considering".
Sir Keir was also reported to have asked the Treasury to see how scrapping it could be funded.
His words on Thursday are his strongest indication yet, that he could lift the cap soon.
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It would mean a second benefits U-turn after he made a shock announcement last week that he was going to relax the winter fuel payment cut.
The policy, announced soon after Labour won the election, has caused anger among Sir Keir's own MPs as it restricted the previously universal payment to those who receive pension credit.
It will now be available to "more pensioners", but details of who and when have not been revealed.
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The Independent
15 minutes ago
- The Independent
What is Your Party? Confusion reigns over name of Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana's new party
Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana have confirmed the formation of an as yet unnamed political party to take on Sir Keir Starmer and Labour from the left. The populist outfit, which has been temporarily dubbed Your Party, was announced by the former Labour leader and Ms Sultana on Thursday. Mr Corbyn said it was 'time for a new kind of political party – one that belongs to you' and he called for the 'mass redistribution of wealth and power'. The group, which will bring together MPs currently sitting as independents, will'build a democratic movement that can take on the rich and powerful – and win', he said. It came weeks after the party's initial launch, through Ms Sultana's social media pages, descended into chaos, with Mr Corbyn apparently unaware she was planning to announce their co-leadership. Then, she promised to offer an alternative to 'managed decline and broken promises'. But now the party is forming, what exactly will that look like in practice? Here, The Independent runs through everything we know so far about the new left-wing offering in Westminster. What is their mission? And do they have any policies? Unveiling more details on Thursday, Mr Corbyn said his party would tax the rich and invest in council houses. He also said it would support Palestine and be 'made up of people of all faiths and none'. He said millions of people were 'horrified by the government's complicity in crimes against humanity'. 'Now, more than ever, we must defend the right to protest against genocide,' he wrote. 'We believe in the radical idea that all human life has equal value. That is why we will keep demanding an end to all arms sales to Israel, and for the only path to peace: a free and independent Palestine'. With growing contempt for Labour under Sir Keir after he suspended four MPs for rebelling against his planned benefit cuts, Mr Corbyn and Ms Sultana are attempting to unite the left in opposition to the party. Further details of how the party will work, who will lead it, what its policies will be and, crucially, what it will be called will be decided by members at an inaugural conference, expected this autumn. Who is involved? Ms Sultana initially said she will be leading the party with former Labour leader Mr Corbyn. While the ex-Labour leader initially declined to comment, sparking rumours he had not fully committed to join, he later issued a statement confirming that 'discussions are ongoing' about the party's formation. Thursday's formal launch letter was signed by both Mr Corbyn and Ms Sultana, and discussions about the party's formation are believed to have involved independent MPs sitting in parliament as well as campaigners and local coucillors across the country. One of those expected to join is Leanne Mohamad, a British-Palestinian activist who almost unseated Wes Streeting in last summer's general election and is planning to run against him again. Another potential member is Andrew Feinstein, who stood against Sir Keir in his Holborn and St Pancras seat, coming second with 7,312 votes. How much support do they have? It is too early to tell what kind of backing Ms Sultana's party would have in practice. In three weeks, she had gained more than 70,000 sign-ups to her page. More broadly, polling conducted by More in Common last month – well before the MP unveiled her party – asked the public how they would vote if a left-leaning party led by Mr Corbyn emerged. The hypothetical scenario saw 10 per cent of voters say they would back the party, taking three points from Labour, four points from the Greens, one point from the Lib Dems and one point from the SNP. Labour was left with 20 per cent support, neck and neck with the Tories, while Reform UK was on 27 per cent. What is happening with the name? The pair sparked mass confusion online with the formation of the party, directing supporters to a website under the title Your Party. Reform chairman Zia Yusuf said that from a branding perspective it was 'one of the worst party names ever'. And, responding to a news outlet on X, formerly Twitter, Ms Sultana sought to clarify, writing: 'It's not called your party!' 'From the launch to the party, conference, structures & yes - even the name! - we're building it together,' she added, confirming that members will decide the name. Labour MPs also piled in on the chaos, with Mike Reader saying: 'I strongly recommend Votey McVote Face.'
The Independent
15 minutes ago
- The Independent
Children of Briton jailed in India for seven years without trial protest Modi's UK visit
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'The UK government has miserably failed to address human rights violations across Commonwealth countries, particularly in India,' says Alois, 27. 'A British national such as my father has now been illegally detained by Indian authorities for seven years, yet neither the previous government nor the present one has taken any concrete action against this inhumane conduct.' Their protest took place at the same time as Sir Keir and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi were meeting to approve a sweeping trade agreement worth £6bn in investment that is expected to boost Britain's GDP by nearly £5bn. Referring to British officials, Alois says: 'They say they'll 'raise interest' in the case. After seven years, is that all? It's ridiculous.' Michel, a businessman and consultant, was extradited from Dubai to India in 2018 over allegations he acted as a middleman in a 2010 defence deal involving Italian firm AgustaWestland. 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The Independent
15 minutes ago
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From friends to foes: Why Corbyn's new ‘Your Party' could be a real problem for Starmer
Keir Starmer and Jeremy Corbyn have a shared love for Arsenal football club and have both captained the Labour 'red team' in politics against the Tory blues. But that is about as far as they go in terms of any bonds in one of the most turbulent relationships in recent British politics. While the relationship between the pair is beyond repair, Sir Keir's predecessor has today added to the prime minister's headache with the launch of his new 'kinder' party, which threatens to pinch supporters at a time when Labour's poll rating continues to drop. A recent poll put Labour in third equal place with a new Corbyn party, with both on 15 per cent and even the Tories ahead on 17 per cent, behind Reform on a massive 34 per cent. Just five years ago, after Labour's dismal defeat to Boris Johnson in the 2019 election, Sir Keir described him as a 'colleague' and, more importantly, a 'friend'. But once the leadership was in the bag – courtesy of the support and strategy of his now chief of staff Morgan McSweeney – Sir Keir suddenly had a very different view of his predecessor. From 2016 he had been loyal to Corbyn, denied there was an antisemitism problem under his leadership, and continued to serve in a shadow cabinet while other prominent Labour MPs refused. But within months of taking charge of Labour, he had suspended the former leader and attempted to distance himself from Corbyn's time in charge. When Corbyn was kicked out in 2023, Sir Keir insisted that contrary to his previous statement, the former Labour leader 'was never a friend'. As various U-turns have shown, Sir Keir has not worried about changing his mind and rewriting history when circumstances required it. Now though, the former friend is a real problem. On one side it will allow Sir Keir to emphasise that he is the sensible centrist leader in a political world dominated by extremes of Corbyn on the left and Farage on the right. But on the other side there will be fears that the issues around trying to cut disability benefits, failing to really take on Israel over Gaza and the infamous winter fuel cuts will encourage many to switch to this new party. Another ex-Labour leader Lord Kinnock has warned that Corbyn's new party will only help the Tories and Reform. The issue for the prime minister, though, may be that Corbyn remains a more charismatic figure on the left. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch suffers the same in comparison to Farage. The one effect of his former friend's new party may be that it forces the prime minister to be more of a man of the people – less Sir Keir and more just Keir. A quality his premiership has been lacking so far.
