Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to scrap the two-child benefit cap will make Labour MPs feel good about themselves. But breaking their promise not to raise income tax risks cancelling out any residual goodwill from voters.

Over the last two days, Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves have bowed to pressure from anti-poverty campaigners and from within Labour to end the policy, which restricts child tax credit and universal credit to the first two children in most households. This week, both have strongly hinted that the cap will be lifted in the Budget later this month.

“I wouldn’t be telling you that we’re going to drive down child poverty if I wasn’t clear that we will be taking a number of measures in order to do so,” Starmer told ITV’s Lorraine on Tuesday. On Monday, Reeves had

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