Politics live: Starmer hits out at Reform’s ‘cruel’ plan to restore two-child benefit cap

Sir Keir Starmer said the decision to postpone dozens of May’s council elections had been “locally led” and defended the government’s U-turn on the plans saying the government “followed further legal advice”.

Put to him during a visit to South Wales that the reversal had left local councils scrambling to organise polls at short notice, the PM said: "Well, I think it's important to remind ourselves that the decision to cancel was a locally-led decision in the sense that each authority could decide.

"And, yes, Labour authorities came forward to say, 'please delay'.

"But so did Tory authorities, so did Lib Dem authorities.

"In relation to the position, we took further legal advice, and as you would expect as a government, having got further legal advice, we followed that legal advice."

Our political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:

Robert Jenrick has said he will not be making the mistakes of Liz Truss, promising to prioritise fiscal responsibility and stability.

His comments come despite Reform's new economic chief serving as a minister in Ms Truss' government when her mini-budget wreaked havoc on the economy.

Mr Jenrick told a press conference in London: "We're going to be conservative when it comes to preserving what's important, like fiscal responsibility and stability in the economy. We're not going to do the mistakes that Liz Truss and Rachel Reeves have done, but we are going to be radical where we need to be to shake up this economy."

Anna Turley MP, Chair of the Labour Party, commenting on Reform UK confirming they will re-instate the cruel two child limit, said:“Robert Jenrick has united the right behind a cruel child poverty pact that would see nearly half a million kids pushed into poverty.

“Farage’s party is stuffed full of former failed Tories who are now hell bent on continuing their damaging legacy, with working people and their children set to pay the price.

“Labour chooses the other road – lifting almost half a million kids out of child poverty – and that’s what we’re doing this year. It’s the right thing to do for them, their families and our economy. It’s appalling that Reform and the Tories would undo that change and leave a lost generation of kids in every corner of Britain.”

Millie Cooke, our political correspondent, reports:

Robert Jenrick has criticised plans to equalise the minimum wage between younger and older workers, dubbing them "economically harmful".

He said: "Youth unemployment is now worse in the UK than in the EU. We all used to say that one of the good things in the UK was our youth unemployment versus those of European economies because of the structural reforms that have been done by prior generations.

“That appears to have been reversed now, undermined by this Labour government. So we're going to think very carefully about how we can support more young people into the workplace - and yes, what they pay are paid is important in that equation."

He added: "These are economically harmful decisions that were not thought through by Rachel Reeves and I'm going to be holding her to account for them."

The prime minister has criticised Reform’s plan to restore the two-child benefit cap.

Robert Jenrick, the party’s Treasury spokesman, announced the plan this morning at a press conference in London.

He said: “We want to help working families have more children. But right now, we just cannot afford to do so with welfare. So it has to go.“

Sir Keir Starmer blasted the move on social media, saying: “I’m incredibly proud that this government has scrapped the cruel two child limit.

“Reform wants to push hundreds of thousands of children into poverty.”

Politics correspondent Athena Stavrou reports:

Robert Jenrick has said Reform UK will not commit to cutting taxes if elected.

The party’s new ‘shadow chancellor’ blamed Rachel Reeves for making “previous assumptions” about the economt “no longer realistic.”

“We will never make promises we can't keep to the British people,” he said.

“So we'll only cut taxes when we have generated the fiscal headroom necessary to make those tax cuts sustainable.”

Robert Jenrick, Reform UK's Treasury spokesman, said recent prime ministers have been "defeatist" in their economic policies.

Mr Jenrick told a press conference in central London: "The recent succession of prime ministers in my old party and now in Labour lacked the vision for what we could do to arrest our decline.

"They were defeatist.

"Before the election, I bet some of you in this room went to listen to Rachel Reeves.

"She pledged financial stability and investment, she said she would unleash the protection of British workers and to a weary public.

"Instead of offering stability, she's unleashed chaos. What Britain needs is Reform."

Politics correspondent Athena Stavrou reports:

Reform UK would restore the two-child benefit cap in full, marking a change to its policy, Robert Jenrick has announced.

“Today, Reform is changing our policy on the two-child cap for universal credit," he told a press conference in the City of London.

“We want to help working families have more children. But right now, we just cannot afford to do so with welfare. So it has to go.“

As Reform’s shadow chancellor, I’m ending it. A Reform government will restore the cap in full.”

Politics correspondent Athena Stavrou reports:

As Robert Jenrick delivers his pledges as Reform UK’s so-called ‘shadow chancellor’, his speech strikes a marked difference in tone compared to yesterday’s press conference.

Preparing to explain his approach to the economy, he told a press conference in the City of London: “It’s not going to be flashy.

“Some of it is rather technical. So I don't think we need the fireworks and smoke machine on this occasion, Nigel.”

Yesterday’s press conference saw Nigel Farage unveil his ‘shadow cabinet’ in a glitzy Westminster venue, complete with loud music and a large stage.

Politics correspondent Athena Stavrou reports:

Robert Jenrick has said his experience witnessing what government “got wrong” while in Cabinet will help him as Reform UK’s would-be ‘shadow chancellor’.

Opening his first speech since being given the role, he referred to reports that he had been appointed due to his experience within government.

“Of course, there's truth in that,” he said. “I sat around the Cabinet table and I saw up close what government gets right and what it gets wrong.”