Westminster is undermining Scotland’s progress on tackling poverty.
The SNP has said the UK government is failing to get a grip of the Tory cost of living crisis and “actively undermining Scotland’s progress” on tackling poverty.
Ian Blackford MP (pictured) has called for the Chancellor to bring forward an emergency Budget with a meaningful package of measures to boost household incomes, warning current proposals “won’t even scratch the surface and are nowhere near enough to help families cope”.
The SNP Westminster Leader said the Tory cost of living crisis “has been a decade in the making”, with a toxic combination of Tory cuts, regressive tax hikes, stagnant wages, poor economic growth, and the soaring cost of Brexit all contributing to squeezed household incomes and rising poverty.
Commenting, SNP Westminster Leader Ian Blackford MP said:
“The UK government is failing to get a grip of the Tory cost of living crisis, which is spiralling out of control and will leave the majority of families hundreds or thousands of pounds worse off.
“This Westminster crisis has been a decade in the making, with a toxic combination of Tory cuts, regressive tax hikes, stagnant wages, poor economic growth, and the soaring cost of Brexit resulting in squeezed household incomes and rising poverty across the UK.
“The pitiful measures announced by the Chancellor won’t even scratch the surface – and are nowhere near enough to help families cope.
Rishi Sunak must bring forward an emergency budget, with a comprehensive package of measures to boost household incomes.
“The £200 ‘buy now, pay later’ loan must be turned into a grant, the £1040 Tory cuts to Universal Credit must be reversed, the Scottish Child Payment must be matched UK-wide, and pay must be increased with a Real Living Wage.
“Under the Tories, the UK already has the worst levels of poverty and inequality in north west Europe and the highest in-work poverty this century.
“If they fail to act now, it will only get worse.
“While the SNP government is tackling poverty by doubling the Scottish Child Payment to £20 a week, the Tory government is actively undermining Scotland’s progress by cutting Universal Credit by £20 a week and failing to act on the cost of living.
“A decade of damaging Westminster decisions have hammered household budgets.
“Whether it’s the benefits freeze, the bedroom tax, the two-child cap, £9k tuition fees, or the National Insurance tax hike – the Tories have made millions of people poorer.
“For every step Scotland takes forward in tackling poverty, Westminster drags us back again.
“The full powers of independence are the only way to keep Scotland safe and eradicate poverty.”
