Two-child limit ‘harms families’

“Sir, Today the government is publishing statistics on the number of families affected by the two-child limit. This policy substantially reduces support through tax credits and universal credit for low-income families with a third or subsequent child born since April 2017. The two-child limit breaks the fundamental link between need and the provision of minimum support. It implies that some children, by virtue of their birth order, are less deserving of support. It leaves affected families £50 a week worse off and will push 300,000 more children into poverty by 2024. 

The two-child limit means unprecedented cuts to the living standards of the poorest children in Britain. We know it is affecting children now. Families report struggling to pay for basic living costs and being forced into debt, and children missing out on healthy food and activities. Children growing up in poverty, or pushed further into poverty as a result of the policy, will be likely to do less well at school, have poorer health outcomes and worse life chances. It is quite simply one of the most damaging changes to the social security system ever. 

The two-child limit should be abolished before it harms more children.”

• Read the follow-up news story about the letter written by The Guardian’s Social Policy editor Patrick Butler.

The letter was signed by the following 109 signatories:

^{Professor Eric Blyth, Emeritus Professor of Social Work, University of Huddersfield; Professor Paul Bywaters, Professor of Social Work, University of Huddersfield; Professor Jonathan Bradshaw, Emeritus Professor of Social Policy, University of York; Professor Sir John Hills, Professor of Social Policy, LSE; ProfessorTim Lang, Professor of Food Policy, City University of London; Professor Jane Millar, Professor, University of Bath; Professor the Baroness (Ruth) Lister of Burtersett, Emeritus Professor of Social Policy, Loughborough University; Proessor Richard Wilkinson, Emeritus Professor, University of Nottingham; Dr Lorenza Antonucci, Lecturer, University of Birmingham; Prof Clare Bambra, Professor of Public Health, Newcastle University; Dr Dave Beck, Lecturer of Social Policy, University of Salford; Fran Bennett, Senior Research and Teaching Fellow, University of Oxford; Prof Nina Biehal, Professor of Social Work, University of York;  Dr Kate Brown, Lecturer in Social Policy & Criminology, University of York; Prof Louise Brown, Professor of International Social Work, University of Bath;  Prof Claire Callender, Professor of Higher Education, Birkbeck and UCL Institute of Education; Dr Kevin Caraher, Lecturer, University of York; Prof Mick Carpenter, Professor Emeritus, University of Warwick; Calum Carson, Doctoral researcher, University of Leeds; Helen Charnley, Associate Professor, Durham University; Dr Amy Clair, Research Fellow, University of Essex; Karen Clarke, Honorary Research Fellow, University of Manchester; Dr James Copestake, Professor of International Development, University of Bath; Dr Marilyn Crawshaw, Honorary Fellow, University of York; Dr Teresa Crew, Lecturer in Social Policy, Bangor University; Dr Stephen Crossley, Senior Lecturer in Social Policy, Northumbria University; Dr Max Davie, Consultant Paediatrician, Officer for Health Improvement for the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health; Sara Davies, Senior Research Fellow, University of Bristol; Prof Alan Deacon, Emeritus Professor of Social Policy, University of Leeds; Dr Matt Dickson, Reader in Public Policy, University of Bath; Dr Ana Cecilia Dinerstein, Reader in Sociology, University of Bath; Dr Daniel Edmiston, Lecturer in Sociology and Social Policy, University of Leeds; Prof Maria Evandrou, Professor of Gerontology, University of Southampton; Prof Francesca Gains, Professor of Public Policy, University of Manchester; Dr Kayleigh Garthwaite, Birmingham Fellow, University of Birmingham; Dr Andrea Gibbons, Lecturer, University of Salford; Prof Caroline Glendinning, Professor Emerita of Social Policy, University of York; Prof Barry Goldson, Charles Booth Chair of Social Science, The University of Liverpool; Dr Aimee Grant, Wellcome Trust ISSF Fellow, Cardiff University; Dr Lee Gregory, Senior Lecturer in Social Policy, University of Birmingham; Dr Rita Griffiths, Research Fellow, Institute for Policy Research, University of Bath; Dr Chris Grover, Interim Head of Department, Department of Sociology, Lancaster University; Dr Hefin Gwilym, Lecturer in Social Policy, Bangor University; Dr Dan Heap, Lecturer in Social Policy, University of Strathclyde; Prof Donald Hirsch, Professor of Social Policy, Loughborough University; Nicola Howard, Think Ahead Associate Lecturer, University of York; Dr Alison Jobe, Assistant Professor in Sociology and Criminology, Durham University; Dr Hannah Jobling, Lecturer in Social Work, University of York; Frances Mary Johnson, PhD candidate, University of Bath; Dr Katy Jones, Senior Research Associate, Manchester Metropolitan University; Dr Antonia Keung, Lecturer in Social Policy, University of York; Dr Hannah King, Assistant Professor, Criminology, Durham University; Dr Derek Kirton, Reader in Social Policy & Social Work, University of Kent; Prof Ruth Levitas, Professor Emerita, University of Bristol; Prof Charlie Lloyd, Professor, University of York; Prof Ruth Lupton, Professor of Education, University of Manchester; Richard Machin, Senior Lecturer in Social Work and Health, Nottingham Trent University; Dr Gill Main, Associate Professor, University of Leeds; Dr Tish Marrable, Senior Lecturer in Social Work and Social Care, University of Sussex; Prof Alan Marsh, Emeritus Professor of Social Policy, University of Westminster; Dr Margaret May, Honorary Research Fellow, University of Birmingham; Jennifer McNally, Lecturer in Social Work, University of York; Prof John Mohan, Professor of Social Policy, University of Birmingham; Prof Paul Montgomery, Professor of Social Intervention, University of Birmingham; Dr Jenny Morris, Visiting Professor, University of Suffolk; Dr Rebecca O’Connell, Reader in the Sociology of Food and Families, UCL Institute of Education; Prof Jan Pahl, Professor Emeritus of Social Policy, University of Kent; Dr Theo Papadopoulos, Lecturer, University of Bath; Prof Jonathan Parker, Professor of Society & Social Welfare, Bournemouth University; Dr Ruth Patrick, Lecturer in Social Policy & Social Work, University of York; Dr Madeleine Power, Research Fellow, University of York; Prof Debora Price, Professor of Social Gerontology, University of Manchester; Dr Aaron Reeves, Associate Professor, University of Oxford; Dr Enrico Reuter, Lecturer in Public and Social Policy, University of York; Liz Richardson, Reader in Politics, University of Manchester; Prof Tess Ridge, Emeritus Professor, University of Bath; Dr Rachel Robbins, Senior Guild Research Fellow, University of Central Lancashire; Dr Anna Rowlands, Associate Professor, Durham University; Prof Karen Rowlingson, Professor of Social Policy, University of Birmingham; Dr Daniel Sage, Senior Lecturer in Social Sciences, Edge Hill University; Dr Mel Semple, Teaching Fellow, University of Bath; Dr Nicola Sharp-Jeffs, Emeritus Research Fellow, London Metropolitan University; Dr Liam Shields, Senior Lecturer in Political Theory, University of Manchester; Prof Prem Sikka, Professor of Accounting and Finance, University of Sheffield; Prof Stephen Sinclair, Professor of Social Policy, Glasgow Caledonian University; Prof Adrian Sinfield, Professor Emeritus of Social Policy, University of Edinburgh; Prof Christine Skinner, Professor of Social Policy, University of York; Dr Joshua Skoczylis, Senior Lecturer in Criminology and CounterTerrorism Studies, University of Lincoln; Prof Roger Smith, Professor of Social Work, Durham University; Prof Robert Song, Professor of Theological Ethics, Durham University; Prof Paul Spicker, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy, Robert Gordon University; Prof Bruce Stafford, Professional Emeritus, University of Nottingham; Dr Kitty Stewart, Associate Professor of Social Policy, LSE; Prof Holly Sutherland, Emeritus Professor, University of Essex; Polly Sykes, Teaching Fellow in Social Work, University of York; Dr Danny Taggart, Lecturer, University of Essex; Prof Peter Taylor-Gooby, Professor of Social Policy, University of Kent; Prof David Taylor-Robinson, Professor of Public Health and Policy, The University of Liverpool; Dr Silke Trommer, Senior Lecturer in Politics, University of Manchester; Prof Rebecca Tunstall, Professor Emerita of Housing Policy, University of York; Prof Julia Twigg, Professor of Social Policy and Sociology, University of Kent; Dr Christine Valentine, Research Associate, University of Bath; Prof John Veit-Wilson, Emeritus Professor of Social Policy, Northumbria University; Dr Carl Walker, Reader in Psychology, University of Brighton; Dr Alison Wallace, Research Fellow (Assistant Professor), University of York; Tamsin Waterhouse, Lecturer, University of Birmingham; Dr Adam J White, Teaching Fellow, Oxford Brookes University; Jane Wistow, Assistant Professor of Social Work, Durham University; Marsha Wood, Research Assistant, University of Bath}