Senior Christian leaders are among 38 faith representatives who have written to the Prime Minister urging him to scrap the two-child benefit cap, describing the policy as morally indefensible and a driving force behind rising child poverty in the UK.

The open letter, signed by Anglican bishops, Methodist and United Reformed Church leaders, Catholic clergy and leaders from Jewish, Muslim, Sikh and Hindu communities, calls on the government to “act now to secure the futures of millions of children".

With the government’s long-awaited child poverty strategy expected this autumn, campaigners say now is a crucial moment for change.

Paul Morrison from the Joint Public Issues Team (JPIT), which coordinated the intervention, told Premier Christian Radio:

“Religious leaders across the country have signed this because they’ve seen the growing impact of child poverty in the communities they serve. It was easy to get signatories because this concern for the most vulnerable is deeply rooted across all faith traditions.”

Morrison warned that the two-child policy is pushing more than 100 children into poverty every day, adding: “There is no credible child poverty strategy that keeps the two-child rule in place… It’s unjust and it can be stopped.”

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, who co-chairs the government’s child poverty taskforce, admitted she is “ashamed” of current poverty levels and said ministers are exploring “every way” to reduce it, including potential changes to benefits.

The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, also backed calls to remove the cap, calling the current situation a “shameful scandal". 

“In one of the richest countries in the world, thousands of children go to school hungry," he said. "The two-child limit is one of the key drivers and it must end.”