Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Bill: Third Reading

Parliament voted on 23 February 2026 to pass the Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Bill at its Third Reading -- the final stage before a bill moves to the House of Lords. The result was 361 votes in favour to 84 against, sending the bill forward with a substantial majority. The legislation removes the rule, introduced in 2017, that restricts Universal Credit payments to a maximum of two children per household, meaning families with three or more children currently receive no additional support for their third or subsequent child.

The practical effect of the bill is significant. The government estimates that two million children stand to benefit from the change, which is due to come into force from April 2026. Combined with other measures in the government's child poverty strategy, ministers say the bill will lift more than half a million children out of poverty by the end of the decade. The bill also extends the removal of the two-child limit to Northern Ireland, included at the request of the Northern Ireland Executive, which is bringing forward a legislative consent motion.

The vote divided almost entirely along party lines. All voting Labour, Labour and Co-operative, Liberal Democrat, SNP, Plaid Cymru, DUP, Green and SDLP members supported the bill. Eighty-three of the 84 votes against came from Conservative MPs, with 33 Conservatives absent. There were no Labour rebels. The bill passed its Second Reading on 3 February 2026 by a wider margin of 458 to 104, and this Third Reading result reflects a slightly smaller house, with more absences across the board.