‘Farage’s two-child cap U-turn exposes who he really is: a grifter’

If anything proved that Farage and his misfit band of ex-Tories have always been style over substance, yesterday was it…

Back in May, the Reform UK leader said lifting the two child cap was the “right thing to do… because we believe, for lower paid workers, this actually makes having children just a little bit easier for them”.

However, at a press conference yesterday, Farage the flip-flopper announced he will now vote against the change when legislation to scrap the cap is introduced on Thursday. His reasoning? Concern that the move would “benefit huge numbers of foreign-born people”.

The announcement at the Budget that Labour would scrap the two-child cap and bring 450,000 children out of poverty is a huge success story for this government. For Farage to flip position and be prepared to condemn the future of thousands of children shows the man for who he really is.

Labour’s leadership haven’t held back in their criticism, with the Prime Minister accusing Farage and Tory leader Kemi Badenoch of being in a “poverty pact”. In an op-ed, he said: “These aren’t numbers on a spreadsheet, they are children’s life chances at stake.”

Chancellor Rachel Reeves went further, accusing Farage of wanting to keep children in poverty based on their skin colour: “Does Nigel Farage want to go around and say: ‘White? Yeah, you can have the money. Black? No, I’m sorry, it’s not for you. What sort of country does he think we are?”

But I think TUC general secretary (and LabourList columnist) Paul Nowak put it best when he said Farage’s flip-flop was “proof positive that you can’t trust a word the man says” and that the Reform leader is “happy to see kids languish in poverty while taking millions in donations from offshore crypto bros”.

If Farage cannot be trusted to keep his word, how can he be trusted to protect our NHS, or stand up against Putin’s aggression in Ukraine or protect workers from exploitative bosses?

Farage is no friend of the working class – we’ve always known that. But Farage’s shameful U-turn should give Labour the open goal they need to strike out at Reform and expose them for who they really are: a party with no plan, no principles and no problem sacrificing children’s life chances on the altar of dog-whistle politics.

Subscribe here to our daily newsletter roundup of Labour news, analysis and comment– and follow us on Bluesky, WhatsApp, X and Facebook.

Share your thoughts. Contribute on this story or tell your own by writing to our Editor. The best letters every week will be published on the site. Find out how to get your letter published.

• • SHARE: If you have anything to share that we should be looking into or publishing about this story – or any other topic involving Labour– contact us (strictly anonymously if you wish) at [email protected].
  • SUBSCRIBE: Sign up to LabourList’s morning email here for the best briefing on everything Labour, every weekday morning.
  • DONATE: If you value our work, please chip in a few pounds a week and become one of our supporters, helping sustain and expand our coverage.
  • PARTNER: If you or your organisation might be interested in partnering with us on sponsored events or projects, email [email protected].
  • ADVERTISE: If your organisation would like to advertise or run sponsored pieces on LabourList‘s daily newsletter or website, contact our exclusive ad partners Total Politics at [email protected].