THE campaign to persuade the government to lift its two child cap on benefits and tax credits has been backed by Bolton South-East MP Yasmin Qureshi.

The Labour justice spokeswoman said 600,000 families nationwide were losing cash as a result.

The limit affects Child Tax Credits and Universal Credit can ge and means that claimants for these benefits will only receive payment for their first two children but not any subsequent ones.

Ms Qureshi said: "This is a callous piece of legislation that affects the most vulnerable families.

"The Government’s own statistics show that over 600,000 families are affected by this policy. Research showed that almost all families affected by the limit had to cut down on essentials, such as food, medication, heating and clothing.

"The Government framed this policy as a way of getting people back into work, but in 59 per cent of the families affected at least one parent was working. The only real impact is to push poor families into even deeper poverty."