Prof Ruth Patrick

The core of our work has not changed, but we have. We have spent, in some cases, years together, uplifting our voices and learning how to be part of a movement for change, and we are proud to be here to represent our work and the people within.

On 23rd October, we headed to a Child Poverty Strategy roundtable hosted by Baroness Lister at the HoL. Our participants delivered powerful testimonies & their speech can be read here📣: changingrealities.org/writings/cha...

@uofgussp.bsky.social
@ippr.org
@cpaguk.bsky.social

Thanks for sharing it Richard!

Not long ago, a Labour source said the two-child cap was ‘popular with key voters, who see it as a matter of fairness’.

In the other corner, the injustice of the cap is ‘so simple even a six-year-old gets it’.

I’m with the six-year-old.

If you know anyone who isn’t, show them this.

👇

Thank you Trish! Hope you’re keeping well

"The worst social policy ever" We have a couple of bonus guest posts over the next week.

Labour can and must get this one right. The two-child limit needs to be abolished, and it needs to be abolished now.

🧵ends

The core of our work has not changed, but we have. We have spent, in some cases, years together, uplifting our voices and learning how to be part of a movement for change, and we are proud to be here to represent our work and the people within.

In the blog for @samfr.bsky.social on the two-child limit, I end with a quote from a speech Jo Barker-Marsh from @changingrealities.bsky.social made at a House of Lords event on the child poverty strategy last week. This merits reading in full www.changingrealities.org/writings/cha... [pls share it]

No half measures • Resolution Foundation The Government’s long-awaited Child Poverty Strategy is due next month, close to, or contemporaneous with, the Autumn Budget. There have been some welcome announcements already: the over-indexation of...

While we continue to hear whispers of possible half-way measures on the two-child limit, new analysis by @resfoundation.bsky.social @alexclegg.bsky.social shows only its full abolition will do the heavy lifting required to drive child poverty down www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications...

Benefit changes and larger families We are a group of university-based researchers investigating how families with more than two children are coping with the benefit cap or the two-child limit.

We all know that the two-child limit is a poverty-producing policy but do we all also know that it fails on its own terms too, as this new summary of the peer-reviewed evidence shows

largerfamilies.study/publications...

[w/ @kittyjstewart.bsky.social and @aaronreeves.bsky.social ]

This was very cathartic to write, and I'm grateful to @samfr.bsky.social for giving me the space to try and set out just why the two-child limit must go, and go in its entirety

[mini 🧵]

Great new research that is worth a read for anyone interested in the politics of fiscal policy.

For me, two key takeaways:
- Voters will punish Labour for failing on child poverty, whatever they say about two-child limit as standalone policy
- Voters love wealth taxes, even when framed negatively

Today, we attended a roundtable at the HoL hosted by Baroness Ruth Lister on the subject of the Child Poverty Strategy. CR participants, inc. Jo & Brian, delivered powerful testimonies, using the space to push for an ambitious Strategy that genuinely confronts the root causes of child poverty. ✊

Our participant James has written an excellent piece for @scotsman.com. ✏️

"The fight for true social justice is long and arduous. But for that hour or so, in that grand room, we were not just the ‘marginalised’ or ‘the beneficiaries’, we were the experts."

Read: www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

Inside the Bute House talks fighting for social justice with John Swinney Talks over the battle to alleviate child poverty took place with John Swinney inside the walls of Bute House

“We were given the space to speak our truth to power”

What happened when parents & carers met @johnswinney.bsky.social to discuss child poverty?

Single parent James of @changingrealities.bsky.social reflects on a 'remarkable' meeting in @scotsman.com

www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

We can all agree that the current systems of Special Educational Needs support are failing but the next step is to agree what change is needed to build a better, more inclusive system that works for all children

www.changingrealities.org/writings/wha...

[short 🧵, launching new @changing_r note]

Energy bills rise while Westminster talks immigration Why have our politicians forgotten about the cost-of-living crisis?

A couple of weeks ago, CR participant Brian spoke to @newstatesman1913.bsky.social about the continuation of the cost-of-living crisis, which he feels politicians have "completely pushed to one side." Read more: www.newstatesman.com/politics/eco...

@uofglasgow.bsky.social
@uofgussp.bsky.social

The growth gamble: Do we need to loosen the tie binding devolution with economic outcomes in England? - RSA Main Earlier in 2025, the UK government announced a commitment to reduce spending on disability benefits by restructuring entitlements and eligibility to various health-related benefits. It claims through ...

Read the latest Safety Nets Blog here: www.regionalstudies.org/rsa-blog/202... @haylesben.bsky.social @ruthpatrick0.bsky.social

Opening with a panel and Q&A at 1 pm, 27 Oct, at James McCune Smith Learning Hub.

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/52-squares...

Our latest @safety-nets.bsky.social project blog is out. We reflect on spatial inequalities and disability benefit reforms. And the pickle UK gov changes might create for subnational and devolved authorities.

The growth gamble: Do we need to loosen the tie binding devolution with economic outcomes in England? - RSA Main Earlier in 2025, the UK government announced a commitment to reduce spending on disability benefits by restructuring entitlements and eligibility to various health-related benefits. It claims through ...

New RSA Blog 📉
“The Growth Gamble” explores how UK welfare reform, deindustrialisation & regional divides intersect.
By Sioned Pearce, @haylesben.bsky.social, Mhairi Ross & @ruthpatrick0.bsky.social.

👉 www.regionalstudies.org/rsa-blog/202...

Current proposals will make it even harder for people with cancer to get financial support for the extra costs it brings. Scrapping WCA means many patients will have to meet PIP criteria instead. PIP currently fails to recognise the specific and unique ways cancer treatment disables people.

To everyone in Britain's Jewish Community: you are not alone. We will not let hate or those who spread it win. We stand with you

As Yom Kippur ends, it is terrible that a holy day has seen people killed at a place of worship in Manchester

I hope many of us will express solidarity + support for Jews in Britain, and work with them + those of every faith and none to deepen our efforts to tackle antisemitism, hatred + extremism

Looking forward to discussing the vital need for improved support for children and young people with send with @theifs.bsky.social @helenmiller.bsky.social & colleagues, drawing on our own recent @changingrealities.bsky.social briefing changingrealities.org/writings/wha...

To reduce child poverty, government must scrap the two-chid limit. And that means fully scrapping it – no benefit cap, no tapers, no new limit. All children deserve the best start in life, and messing around the edges of this policy won’t cut it. 2/2

Such vital and important research! Excited to see what the @cfpjustice.bsky.social does - very timely after yesterdays speech too!

YouTube video by Centre for Peoples Justice Hillsborough Law in Parliament - The journey begins

As part of the work of our new #CentreForPeoplesJustice
@cfpjustice.bsky.social we've created this video about the making of #HillsboroughLaw (aka the Public Office (Accountability) Bill), intended to get public authorities to tell the truth: youtu.be/MCoSZzEOWLk?...

The Guardian view on child poverty: the scrapping of the two-child benefit cap can’t come soon enough | Editorial Editorial: Extra services for poorer families are welcome, but real progress requires the raising of incomes

No ifs, no buts. The two-child limit needs completely scrapping, and the benefit cap with it.

Punchy @theguardian.com leader making this case

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Starmer pledged to take action on child poverty this afternoon. The first step to doing this has to be the complete eradication of the punitive two-child limit and benefit cap. The future of all of our children demands nothing less. Half way through steps & staging posts do not suffice.

'Bringing emotion and reality to the debate on child poverty.': one conference attendee's experience - LabourList Jonny Roberts has come to conference to share his experience of being a single dad - and call for Labour to take bold action on child poverty.

The delivery was by far the best too but we still waiting for more on child poverty if we are to really have a Britain built for all. Jonny Roberts from @changingrealities.bsky.social put it well in his piece for @labourlist.bsky.social labourlist.org/2025/09/chil...

Hearing Jonny speak was one of my highlights of Labour Party conference - do read his piece

Benefit changes and larger families We are a group of university-based researchers investigating how families with more than two children are coping with the benefit cap or the two-child limit.

A Britain built for all (as Starmer promises) needs real and sustained action on child poverty and that has to start with an end to the two-child limit. It really is that simple.

www.largerfamilies.study