Exclusive: Save the Children calls for pensions triple lock-style policy to protect child-related welfare spending

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Rachel Reeves is facing calls to introduce a “child lock” to protect spending on child-related benefits in the autumn budget, a move campaigners say would dramatically reduce the number of children in poverty.

In a report to be shared with the Treasury and ministers this week, Save the Children has called for a guarantee that benefits for supporting children are raised each year in line with inflation or average earnings, whichever of the two figures is higher.