SDLP MP's Vote To Support End Of Two-Child Benefit Cap

SDLP MP's at Westminster have voted in favour of an SNP amendment to ending the two-child benefit cap.

The SDLP has long called for an end to the cap which has compounded child poverty and has a particularly detrimental impact on families in Northern Ireland. Speaking ahead of a vote in the House of Commons yesterday, SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood MP who is a signatory to the King's Speech amendment said: "The two-child cap is a cruel mechanism that has brought unnecessary hardship on families across these islands. But it has had a particular impact in Northern Ireland where larger families have been penalised by a Tory government that had no real interest in tackling child poverty.

"The SDLP has made this issue a priority in the Northern Ireland Assembly and we are raising it to the top of the agenda at Westminster as signatories to this important amendment to the King's Speech. We have worked with community and voluntary sector organisations in Northern Ireland who are clear that ending the two child cap is one of the best ways to address child poverty and support low income households.

"We were clear during the election campaign that we would hold the new government to account. Following this evening's vote we will continue to press Ministers to make ending this policy a priority."