Parents of children who regularly miss school should have their child benefit payments stopped, Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove has suggested.

Speaking at an event hosted by the Onward centre-right think tank, the cabinet minister said the idea was originally considered by the coalition government under David Cameron but was blocked by the Liberal Democrats.

Teaching unions and poverty campaigners have also opposed the proposal in the past, but Mr Gove said it should be “reconsidered again” to crack down on anti-social behaviour.

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“We need to – particularly after COVID – get back to an absolute rigorous focus on school attendance, on supporting children to be in school,” he said.

“It is often the case that it is truanting or persistent absenteeism that leads to involvement in anti-social behaviour.

“So one of the ideas that we floated in the coalition years, which the Liberal Democrats rejected, is the idea that if children are persistently absent then child benefit should be stopped.

“I think what we do need to do is to think radically about restoring an ethic of responsibility.”

Local councils can already fine parents £60 if their children miss school.

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Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union, said docking benefits was not the answer to improving attendance.

“Not only is this wrong, it is also likely to be counter-productive. It is very hard to see how consigning children to poverty and starvation will improve their school attendance,” he said.

“School staff are already deeply concerned by how many children are living in poverty and the impact that has on their academic performance and wellbeing.

“Persistent absence can only be successfully tackled by offering help, not punishment.”

Mr Gove was education secretary for most of the coalition years and has long supported the idea of cutting benefits to crack down on truancy.

A government report he commissioned following the 2011 summer riots said that recouping fines for absenteeism through child benefit “will strengthen and simplify the system”.

The prime minister’s spokesperson would not be drawn on the comments in a media briefing on Tuesday afternoon.

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He said he had not seen the full remarks but told reporters that “if the question is should parents face a penalty for children missing school, I believe they already do”.

While there are no plans to change current policy, the government sees tackling anti-social behaviour as a priority and recently announced plans to ban laughing gas as part of a proposed crackdown.

The issue looks set to become a battleground at the next election, with Labour vowing to give classes to parents of children who repeatedly commit crimes if it wins power.

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