A record 1.3million children are now hit by the Tories’ two-child benefit cap - and 1,830 mums had to declare they were raped to get out of it.
Annual figures today show 359,000 households - 47% of them single parents - are now affected by the policy to ban benefits for larger families.
Between them, those households have 1.3million children. This is up from 317,500 households and 1.1million households a year ago.
Welfare-slashing Tory George Osborne's limit bans families from claiming a £237-a-month "child element" for “third or subsequent” children born since April 2017.
Tory ministers claimed it would make families on benefits take the same choices as those in work. Yet 58% of those hit by the limit already have jobs, the figures show.
One mum told researchers at the Benefit Changes and Larger Families project she was unable to replace her child’s broken bed. Another said her one-year-old daughter has been wearing shoes two sizes too small, “but I couldn’t do anything about it”.
Child Poverty Action Group Chief Executive Alison Garnham said: “The two child- limit is piling on the pain for affected families.
“It forces families to survive on less than they need, pushes them deeper and deeper into poverty as costs rise - and today’s emergency cost-of-living payment does nowhere near enough to pull them back.
“One in twelve children are taking the consequences of this brutal policy – their health, development and well-being are being jeopardised. If every child matters– not just some – the policy must be abolished.”
There are exemptions for twins or children born of rape, but raped mothers must document the fact of their ordeal on an official form.
Of almost 17,000 exemptions, 1,830 were for “non-consensual conception”.
SNP MP Alison Thewliss, who has campaigned against the "rape clause", said today: “Not only is the two-child limit and associated rape clause deeply cruel and damaging, it has been proven to be failing.
“Any government with an ounce of common sense or compassion would have already scrapped it.
“As well as seeing families out of pocket, it also deliberately puts women through mental and emotional anguish in forcing them to disclose horrific details under the rape clause, and has been found to have an impact on women’s decisions to terminate pregnancies.”
When she raised the issue in Parliament, Commons Leader Mark Spencer replied: "These are very difficult decisions to take.
"I think there are people up and down the country who are not receiving benefits who have to make very difficult decisions about how many children they can afford to have.
“And there is not a blank cheque from the taxpayer to keep funding people.
"It's about bringing a balance and fairness into the system so that we can protect taxpayers' money and make sure it's spent in the fairest way possible."
Lib Dem MP Wendy Chamberlain said: “This heartless Conservative government is abandoning hundreds of thousands of children in the middle of a cost of living emergency.
“This cruel policy risks having devastating consequences for families up and down the country. Children are being punished for having more than one sibling, and risk going hungry and seeing their life chances damaged as a result.
“It just shows the Conservatives are staggeringly out of touch with the British people.”
A DWP spokesperson said: “Latest figures show that there were 200,000 fewer children in absolute poverty after housing costs compared to 2019/20.
“This policy means families on benefits are asked to make the same financial decisions as families supporting themselves solely through work, including considering our comprehensive childcare offer for working parents and child benefit for all children.
“Meanwhile, to help with rising prices over 8 million households on benefits are in line to receive the first instalment of our £650 Cost of Living payment from today, with millions getting at least £1,200 in extra support.”
