USDAW general secretary Paddy Lillis warned today that any cuts to child benefit must take into account the “best interests of children” as the union’s annual conference backed calls to reduce a couple’s eligibility threshold from £120,000 to £90,000.

He said that, despite criticism that the system unfairly penalises both single-income families and couples with one higher earner, child benefit has been a “key safety net for both low and middle-income families,” who remain under “intense pressure” from the cost-of-living crisis.

“As a result of failures in the system, an individual earning over £60,000 can end up having to pay back some of their child benefit, whereas a couple with a joint income potentially earning up to £120,000 can continue to claim the full amount,” he said.