Reform UK’s call to scrap the two-child benefit cap might garner them a few headlines, but it’s a lazy, vote-chasing policy that’s wrong for Lincolnshire.
Here in Lincolnshire, we believe in self-reliance, family, and fairness. We work hard. We pay in. And we don’t expect the state to do everything for us. So why should working parents in places like Grantham, Boston, or Spalding, taxed up to their necks, be forced to pick up the tab for others who choose not to?
Recklessly expanding the welfare state is not the answer to Britain’s demographic crisis. It’s not sustainable. And it certainly won’t work here.
What Lincolnshire needs is a real plan to back British families:
- Let working families keep more of what they earn. Raise tax thresholds, widen exemptions on essentials for children, and make childcare costs tax-deductible.
- Support the early years, not endless dependency. Front-load child benefits when it matters most, during a child’s first years, and tie them to citizenship or a strong history of paying in.
- Cut stamp duty for growing families. From Stamford to Skegness, young families need help moving into bigger homes, not another handout.
- Make childcare affordable. It’s not just costly in rural areas, it’s often unavailable. We need a childcare system that works in the Fens, not just in London.
- Stand up for marriage and commitment. Offer meaningful tax breaks for couples building a family life together.
- Back British mums. If Hungary can offer tax-free status for mothers of large families, why can’t we consider similar ideas?
We don’t need more welfare. We need a serious family policy that rewards effort and supports aspiration. That’s the Lincolnshire way.
Reform UK can chase headlines all they like, but we’ll stand for something better: a future that puts British families, Lincolnshire values, and common sense first.