BRIDGET PHILLIPSON has said she is “confident” the government will “do the right thing” over the two-child benefit cap, signalling ministers could be preparing to scrap the policy.

The Education Secretary, who is running to become Labour’s next deputy leader, said there is an “urgency” to lifting the limit and that she will be in Cabinet arguing for change.

The cap, introduced by the Conservatives in 2017, restricts universal and child tax credit payments to the first two children in most households.

Ms Philipson told Sky News: “With every year that passes, more children are moving to poverty because of the two-child limit.

“It was a Tory policy. We would not have introduced it. I’m clear what needs to happen.”

She added that tackling child poverty is her “number one priority” in the deputy leadership campaign.

Asked by the BBC whether she would resign if the government failed to abolish the cap, she said: “I am confident that we as a government will do the right thing by children growing up in poverty in our country.”

It comes after rival candidate and recently sacked Commons leader Lucy Powell urged the government to take a clearer stance on scrapping the policy.