Under Andy Burnham, Universal Claimants Will Receive £304 A Month

If Andy Burnham is elected prime minister, millions of benefit claimants may anticipate increased payouts.

The former Greater Manchester Mayor looks set to take over from Keir Starmer in Number 10, and he will inherit the recently introduced rules over child benefit payments.

Starmer’s Government ditched the two-child benefit cap, boosting the finances of some of the most impoverished families.

He said this would result in half a million children being lifted out of poverty.

However, the Prime Minister faced criticism for being lenient on welfare and providing excessive benefits; Andy Burnham, who is expected to succeed him, will also have to address similar accusations. But the new Makerfield MP has been a fervent advocate for doing away with the cap, which was put in place by the Conservatives.

He said last year that the two-child limit “can’t be defended”. This indicates he will stick with the decision to ditch the two-child limit.

It enables parents to get larger Universal Credit payments if they have three or more children. In the past, they could only make claims for a maximum of two children.

People with three children will be paid £304 extra each month, while the amount will be £608 for households with four children.

Burnham said of the two-child limit last September: “I never supported its introduction. It can’t be defended, because it’s arbitrary.

“Why does the third kid just get cut out or get less, or why do all three if you’ve got three kids? I’m one of the three kids.

“My mum got child benefit for all of us … My parents always said to me something that has definitely guided me in my life – you can never visit the sins of the parents on the kids.”

But what about those pensioners who will never see their pensions? This is the part of the debate that gets swept under the rug, and it’s the part that should make people furious.

Some of those people will die before even reaching the rising pension age, and this isn’t speculative. It’s already happening, and our government raised it knowing that many of those people would not live long enough. It was framed as modernisation, but the financial modelling assumed early deaths so that they wouldn’t have to pay out.

If Andy Burham wants to be popular when he becomes Prime Minister, and he wants people to warm to him, then he seriously needs to lower the pension age, because lowering the pension age would be one of the single most popular things any UK Prime Minister could do, but here’s the thing, it’s popular, it’s morally justified, and it’s economically feasible, but politically terrifying for any leader, and that’s why no one touches it.

Andy Burnham, be bold, be fierce, and be the leader that our country wants and needs.

If he needs to trim anything, then it should be from the wealthy and celebrated, not the working man, not the disabled, not pensioners, but from people who can afford a little less in their pocket.

The government’s financial purse isn’t out of money, but it is in a severe fiscal squeeze. Well, if that’s the case, then our government need to compartmentalise what is really important, particularly for the welfare of the country and not other countries.

I understand that the UK must look rather inviting for some people who enter it legally or maybe not so legally, but if people want to live in our country, then they need to have secured employment before they get here or be able to provide for themselves. We are not a charity!