Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland MP Luke Myer has joined over 100 Labour colleagues in urging the Chancellor to raise gambling taxes and use the funds to scrap the two-child benefit limit, a policy that has left thousands of children in poverty across Teesside and beyond.

The intervention follows recommendations from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) to increase duties on harmful forms of gambling, including online slots and high-stakes machines, bringing the UK in line with international practice. The proposals would generate an estimated £3.2 billion annually – enough to abolish both the two-child limit and the household benefit cap.

For Luke, this is not new ground. Before entering Parliament, he worked at IPPR on issues including child poverty, as well as co-authoring research which recommended levies on gambling premises to fund public health improvements. Later, as Cabinet Member for Children in Redcar & Cleveland, he delivered the borough’s child poverty strategy. Since becoming an MP, he has consistently called for the two-child limit to be scrapped.

Luke said:

“No child on Teesside should grow up in poverty while gambling companies record huge profits. This is about fairness – ensuring that those who profit from harmful products contribute properly, and that every child gets the best start in life. I have been calling for the abolition of the two-child limit for years, and I am proud to stand with colleagues in pressing for action.”

The letter, signed by 101 Labour MPs, comes ahead of the Chancellor’s Budget on 26 November. While Labour has already expanded free school meals, childcare, and increased the minimum wage, MPs are clear that scrapping the two-child limit remains a vital step in tackling child poverty.

Luke added:

“This is a chance to do the right thing – fair taxation on harmful gambling products rather than making working people pay more, and a fair start for every child too.”