April 2026 is a landmark month for Cardiff East, because major changes from the UK Labour Government to help with the cost of living will take effect.
Tackling Child Poverty: We are scrapping the two-child limit. Since 2017, families with a third or subsequent child have been excluded from the child element of Universal Credit, worth some £3,514 per child per year. That reckless Tory policy plunged hundreds of thousands of children into poverty, and many of these families are working households. We are ending it.
From April 6th, every child will be treated equally by the welfare system. Across Wales, 69,000 children will benefit, including an estimated 3,070 children here in Cardiff East. Nationally, nearly half a million children will be lifted out of poverty, the largest single-year reduction since comparable records began in the 1990s.
The Universal Credit standard allowance is also increasing, by over 6%, meaning that a single person aged 25 or over will see their monthly allowance rise from £400.14 to £424.90. For joint claimants both aged 25 or over, it rises from £628.10 to £666.97. This is targeted support for 320,000 Welsh households.
Increasing the Living and Minimum Wage: Increases to the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage this month mean that 2.7 million workers will receive another pay rise. For 18 to 20-year-olds, the minimum wage will rise from £10.00 to £10.85 per hour, an annual increase of around £1,500 for full-time workers. The National Living Wage will increase from £12.21 to £12.71 per hour, boosting gross annual earnings by approximately £900 for a full-time worker. These changes will benefit 160,000 workers in Wales. So, in the space of the 20 months since the election, the UK Labour Government has delivered a total increase of almost £2,300 for those on the National Living Wage and over £4,000 for 18 to 20-year-olds on the National Minimum Wage.
Delivering for Working People: The Employment Rights Act is at the centre of our commitment to Make Work Pay, the most ambitious overhaul of employment rights in decades. Amongst other measures, from the 6th of April:
- Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) will be payable from day one of illness, meaning the previous unfair three-day waiting period, which forced low-paid workers to choose between their health and wages, is abolished.
- The Lower Earnings Limit, which entirely excluded part-time and lower-paid workers from SSP entitlement, is scrapped. Under these reforms, low-paid workers will receive 80% of their normal weekly earnings or the standard SSP rate, whichever is lower.
- Paternity leave and unpaid parental leave will be available from day one of employment. The previous requirements of 26 weeks’ employment for paternity leave and one year for parental leave are scrapped. These were barriers that hit those in lower-paid, less secure work the most. We have got rid of them.
- We are also strengthening protections for workers who ‘blow the whistle’ on sexual harassment, with sexual harassment becoming a qualifying disclosure under whistleblowing law, protecting those who speak up.
- We are introducing Bereaved Partners Paternity Leave, providing up to 52 weeks of leave for dads and partners where the mum or primary adopter dies within the first year of the child’s life.
On 7 April, the Fair Work Agency comes into existence as a single national enforcement body. It brings HMRC’s National Minimum Wage enforcement team, the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate, and the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority under one roof.
We’re making sure that, as well as increasing employment rights and protections, we’re strengthening the enforcement of them.
Protecting Pensioners with the Triple Lock: The State Pension is increasing by 4.8% this month because we have committed to the Triple Lock. That will see pensions rise by up to £575 a year. With inflation at 3.8%, pensioners will see their pensions rise faster than prices, benefitting 700,000 pensioners across Wales.
We promised to protect the Triple Lock, and we have.
The cost-of-living pressures that families across Cardiff East have faced because of Tory mismanagement of the economy are a legacy that won’t disappear overnight, but the UK Labour Government is entirely focused on bringing down the cost of living and this month sees significant help taking effect.
These measures mean children are being lifted out of poverty, workers will be better paid and better protected, and pensioners will see their pensions rise again. Support for all generations across Cardiff East.