Graham Leadbitter MP urged the UK Government to follow the SNP approach to child poverty after new figures showed 3,984 local children living in poverty.
Of those, 1,720 are estimated to be directly affected by the two child cap that limits support for families.
The data comes from the End Child Poverty Coalition and has sharpened calls for action ahead of the autumn policy decisions.
Leadbitter said the policy choices made at Westminster are pushing families into hardship and holding communities back.
“The two child cap is a cruel Dickensian policy that penalises families instead of supporting them,” he said.
“It makes no humanitarian or economic sense to allow so many children to live in poverty when the solutions are right in front of us,” he said.
At Westminster the SNP has long campaigned to remove the cap and to strengthen social security for families.
At Holyrood the SNP Government plans to scrap the two child limit in March next year as part of a wider set of measures.
Annual statistics published earlier this year by the Scottish Government reported a fall in relative child poverty from 26 percent to 22 percent in 2023 to 2024.
The same release showed absolute child poverty falling from 23 percent to 17 percent over the period.
Campaign modelling cited by the SNP suggests the UK Government could reduce relative child poverty by an additional 100,000 children in 2025 to 2026 by ending the two child limit, replicating the Scottish Child Payment in Universal Credit, removing the benefit cap, and introducing an essentials guarantee.
Leadbitter said progress in Scotland shows what is possible when targeted support is in place.
“It could transform lives here if Westminster copied the policies already working in Scotland,” he said.
He added that local families in Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey would feel an immediate improvement if the UK Government moved in step.
“The message is simple,” he said.
“Put money back in people’s pockets now.”
The figures underline the stakes for councils, schools, and community groups that are working daily with families under pressure.
They also frame the national policy debate that will shape budgets through the winter and into next year.
Local leaders say certainty on support helps services plan, helps employers retain staff, and helps children thrive.
For families, the difference is felt in weekly budgets, full fridges, warm homes, and the chance for children to focus on learning rather than worry.
The coming months will test whether Westminster is willing to match the measures already adopted in Scotland.
Community stakeholders across Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey will watch closely for decisions that can lift children out of poverty and keep them there.
