CHILD benefit will only be given to families whose children resemble the 1950s youngsters in Ladybird books.
The government is to save money by limiting the payments to obedient, traditionally dressed children from an idealised past.
Welfare secretary Iain Duncan Smith said: “Boys must wear shorts and a tank top and spend much of their spare time making models of HMS Victory.
“Girls must wear a pretty frock and ribbons in their hair. They must produce evidence that they regularly help their mother bake delicious cakes. If the cakes are not delicious, payments will be stopped.
“Children must know how to build a wigwam or crochet a cover for the radio. If the wigwam collapses or the radio is insufficiently covered, payments will be stopped.”
Parent Donna Sheridan said: “My daughter is starting to think it actually is the 1950s. She’s no longer interested in a career in medicine and says she’d rather become a typist and marry a man called Reginald.”
