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Education secretary Bridget Phillipson said Sir Keir Starmer could consider removing the two-child benefit cap “as one of a number of ways” of lifting children out of poverty.
It comes as Labour backbenchers are pushing the prime minister to lift the ban, which prevents parents from claiming benefits for any third or subsequent child born after April 2017.
But chancellor Rachel Reeves resisted calls to abolish the cap, claiming she will not make “unfunded” pledges.
Sir Keir is visiting Hampshire, where he is set to launch a new body to tackle Britain’s “fragmented and broken”skills training system.
Speaking from Farnborough, he will unveil Skills England in a bid to ensure training provision is aligned with the needs of the economy.
The body, which was included in Labour’s manifesto, will also work with the Migration Advisory Committee in an effort to reduce reliance on workers from overseas by addressing areas where home-grown skills can be improved.
It comes as the PM paid tribute to Joe Biden’s “remarkable career” after the US president announced he would not be seeking a second term.
Key Points
- Labour could ‘consider’ scrapping the two-child benefit cap
- Starmer told ‘doing nothing not an option’ amid party rebellion on benefit cap
- PM launches Skills England to tackle ‘fragmented and broken’ training system
- Tory shadow minister admits party has a ‘demographic problem’
- Keir Starmer praises Biden’s ‘remarkable career’ after president quits race
- Nigel Farage brands Joe Biden an ‘incompetent’ candidate
Watch Live: Keir Starmer delivers remarks at Farnborough Air Show in Hampshire
Starmer vows to ‘reduce reliance’ on overseas workers with Skills England plan
Salma Ouaguira22 July 2024 10:00 1721638408Coming up: Starmer unveils plans to improve skills training in speech
Sir Keir Starmer will set out plans to curb reliance on foreign workers by improving skills training in England.
The Prime Minister will set out his approach in a speech this morning, promising a new body to address the “fragmented and broken” training system.
He promised the Skills England organisation will bring together central and local government, businesses, trade unions and training providers to better understand the nation’s “skills gap”.
It will work with the Migration Advisory Committee to reduce reliance on workers from overseas by addressing areas where home-grown skills can be improved.
We will the deliver his speech at around 10am.
Stride: Media appearances during election campaign ‘cut through’ with votes
Potential Conservative leadership hopeful Mel Stride said his frequent appearances on the media morning round for the party during the election campaign “cut through” with the public.
The shadow work and pensions secretary told Sky News: “I did about a quarter of all the morning rounds, actually, during the general election for us, and it did cut through, I think.”
He refused to comment on any possible rivals in the race to replace Rishi Sunak, saying: “I think it is really important in this contest that we don’t have any blue on blue.”
Asked how long Mr Sunak should stay on for as Conservative leader, Mr Stride said: “That is a matter for him.”
Pressed on whether the rules for the race will be set out this week, he said it will “certainly be within that kind of timeframe”.
Salma Ouaguira22 July 2024 09:53 1721638084Poll: Tories’ time in power marked by Brexit, Partygate and Covid
A new Savanta poll has revealed that the Conservatives’ time in government will be remembered for Brexit, Partygate and the way the party managed the response to Covid-19.
Liz truss’ budget came fourth with 31 per cent of the votes and Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda scheme fifth, with 27 per cent.
Salma Ouaguira22 July 2024 09:48 1721637945King’s Speech debate: What is happening in the Commons today?
MPs in parliament continue to debate the policies announced by Labour on the King’s Speech. Here are the written ministerial statements due to be made in the Commons today:
- Secretary of State for Business and Trade: Update on Harland & Wolff.
- Secretary of State for Education: Skills reform update.
- Secretary of State for Transport: Sustainable aviation update.
SNP joins Labour rebels in revolt against two-child benefit cap
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn has urged Scottish Labour MPs to support a move to scrap the two-child benefit cap.
The party has tabled an amendment to the King’s Speech calling for the cap to be axed in what Mr Flynn is describing as a “test” of the new Labour government’s pledge to deliver real change for the country.
The government has said it will set up a taskforce to deliver a strategy to tackle child poverty but Mr Flynn has previously described this as a “cynical attempt to kick the issue into the long grass”.
The cap was introduced by former UK Conservative chancellor George Osborne in 2015 and restricts child welfare payments to the first two children born to most families.
The SNP’s amendment to remove the cap, which will be debated today, is understood to have the support of former Labour leader and now independent MP Jeremy Corbyn as well as the Green and Plaid Cymru MPs.
Flynn said ahead of today’s debate: “We’ve worked constructively with other groups in Westminster to deliver a cross-party movement to scrap the child benefit cap but, sadly, no Labour MP from Scotland appears willing to join these efforts.
“Anas Sarwar and his Labour MPs in Scotland have said the cap should go, and our amendment gives them the opportunity to put those words into action – it’s a fairly easy test for them to pass should they wish to do so.”
Nigel Farage brands Joe Biden an ‘incompetent’ candidate
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has described Joe Biden as “incompetent” and claimed the US President has “not been up to the job for years.”
The MP for Clacton criticised Mr Biden’s abilities to lead the White House, which he claimed are “getting worse and worse”.
Speaking on LBC, he sad: “The debate was bad enough. They managed to quell that. But of course, they couldn’t hide him in a bunker when it came to the NATO Summit.”
He added: “And, you know, calling Zelensky ‘Putin’, calling Kamala Harris ‘Trump’, and it’s just getting worse and worse.
“Goodness knows why Sir Keir Starmer, our Prime Minister, who met with him, said everything was fine. You know, I guess he was just being nice.”
It comes as President Biden announced he will no longer stand a second term and endorsed Kamala Harris to replace him.
Minister denies Labour will resort to migrants to fill skills gap
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has denied a rise in immigration could help plug skills gaps in the workforce in the short term.
It was put to her that Labour’s measures to boost skills and reduce reliance on workers from overseas will take a long time to come into force.
Asked whether foreign workers could fill vacancies in the meantime, she told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “No, this is about creating more opportunities for people here in our country to get the skills that they need in order to fill those skill shortages.
“As you say, we saw a big increase under the Conservatives in skills shortages across our economy. That’s not just holding our economy back and the growth and the job opportunities that we want – it’s holding our people back too.”
Salma Ouaguira22 July 2024 09:18 1721636183Starmer to deliver speech on skills training in Hampshire
Sir Keir Starmer has arrived at the Farnborough International Airshow in Hampshire, where he will make a speech on skills training.
The Prime Minister was greeted by the chief executives of plane-maker Airbus and aerospace manufacturer Rolls-Royce, Guillaume Faury and Tufan Erginbilgic.
He then met a group of apprentices from the two companies in front of a Virgin Atlantic Airbus A330-900 jet which has Rolls-Royce engines.
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