TENS of thousands more children are in poverty since Labour refused to lift the two-child benefit cap since taking office, campaigners have warned.

Charities are increasing pressure on the government to ditch the benefits restriction as part of its upcoming child poverty plan, warning tha the effort to tackle poverty will “fall flat on its face” without doing so.

Though expected soon, the End Child Poverty Coalition believes it might not come until June.

Organisations working in the sector warn that 109 children across Britain are pulled into poverty every day due to the two-child limit, implemented by the Tories on April 6 2017.

The policy restricts child tax credit and universal credit to the first two children in most households.

While it applies across Britain, the Scottish government has pledged to mitigate the policy’s impacts, though payments to this effect are not expected until 2026.

The Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG), part of the coalition, estimates that by the cap’s anniversary on Sunday, 30,000 more children will have fallen into poverty under the policy since Labour took office in July.

The group’s analysis suggests an estimated 350,000 children would be lifted out of poverty immediately if the policy was scrapped.

While the move would cost the government around £2 billion, CPAG calculated it would be cheaper than other measures.

Increasing the child element of UC by £17 a week would cost £3bn, while increasing the UC standard allowance by £25 a week would cost £8bn.

CPAG chief executive Alison Garnham said: “The government’s child poverty strategy will fall flat on its face unless it scraps the two-child limit.

“Every day the policy forces families to go hungry and damages the life chances of children up and down the country.

“Reducing the record high levels of child poverty in the UK will require a whole-government effort, but abolishing the two-child limit is the essential first step.”

Today, campaigners will hand a letter to the Treasury, saying the two-child limit “has to go.”

The letter, signed by Unicef UK, the National Education Union, foodbank organisation Trussell Trust and others, says: “It cannot be scrapped for some families and not others as this would result in some of the most vulnerable families remaining in poverty — with no way to pull themselves out.”

The government was contacted for comment.