Starmer has left millions of children ‘languishing in poverty’, claims SNP
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has left millions of children “languishing in poverty”, the SNP has claimed.
The party said analysis it commissioned from the House of Commons Library shows that if the Labour UK Government matched Scottish Government policies, it would lift an additional 1.1 million children out of poverty.
The UK Government’s child poverty strategy set out this week aims to achieve the largest reduction in child poverty since records began, cutting numbers by 550,000 by 2030.
It takes into account the removal of the two-child benefit cap as proposed in the recent Budget.
But SNP MP Kirsty Blackman said Labour’s strategy is “deeply unambitious”.
She said: “Keir Starmer has made the shameful political choice to leave four million children languishing in poverty by failing to match SNP action across the UK.
“The fact is, the Labour Government’s long-delayed, deeply unambitious strategy is just a rehash of previously announced policies. It’s a flop and a missed opportunity, which will still leave four million children in poverty – barely moving the dial from the numbers seen after a decade of Westminster cuts.
“The figures are clear, if the Labour Party was serious about tackling poverty it would match SNP Government action, including matching the SNP’s Scottish child payment across the UK.
“That would give Scottish and UK families an extra £1,400 a year per child, and lift an additional 1.1 million children out of poverty – an impact three times greater than the UK Government’s strategy alone.”
The SNP said it has made calls for the UK Government to match the Scottish child payment by raising the child and family elements of universal credit by £27.15 per child per week.
Ms Blackman continued: “Scotland is the only part of the UK where child poverty is falling, as a direct result of SNP policies like the Scottish child payment, baby box, Best Start Grant, and SNP choices like mitigating the benefit cap and abolishing the bedroom tax.
“Why are (Scottish Labour leader) Anas Sarwar and his Scottish Labour MPs refusing to call on their own Labour Government to do the same?
“Brexit Britain is broken and the fact that Westminster is choosing to keep so many children in poverty shows why Scotland needs to secure a fresh start with independence.”
The UK Government has been approached for comment.
Published: by Radio NewsHub