The Labour government is under fire for pushing back its long-promised child poverty strategy, a move charities warn could deepen the hardship already faced by thousands of families across the UK.
Campaigners, including Save the Children, have issued a stark warning that a further delay could see another 20,000 children fall into poverty.
The strategy, first promised for spring, is now reportedly postponed until at least the autumn, despite soaring need and growing public pressure to act.
Keir Starmer’s administration has so far refused to reverse harsh welfare policies inherited from the Tories, including the two-child benefit cap and the bedroom tax.
These policies are disproportionately hurting families in Scotland and across the UK, where the cost of living remains painfully high.
Critics say the delay is not just disappointing, but disgraceful.
They argue that the decision reflects skewed priorities from a government that claimed it would bring real change but is instead presiding over growing inequality.
Save the Children has voiced deep concern, calling once again for an end to the two-child limit on benefits.
The charity has made clear that any further dithering will have devastating consequences for vulnerable households.
In contrast, the SNP government in Scotland is taking a markedly different approach.
First Minister John Swinney has made tackling child poverty a central mission.
His government has introduced a string of progressive policies, including the flagship Scottish Child Payment, the Best Start Grant, the baby box initiative, and the abolition of the bedroom tax in Scotland.
With these measures in place, Scotland is now expected to be the only part of the UK where child poverty will fall in the years ahead.
Kirsty Blackman MP, the SNP’s Work and Pensions spokesperson, didn’t hold back in her criticism of Labour’s record.
“This disgraceful delay shows the Labour Party has all the wrong priorities,” she said.
“It is more interested in pandering to right-wing headlines than tackling the scourge of child poverty, which has reached record highs under Keir Starmer.”
She added that Labour’s austerity agenda is pushing thousands of children into hardship, while breaking promises to deliver real change.
Blackman contrasted Labour’s failings with the SNP’s targeted support for families, highlighting that Scotland offers the best cost of living package in the UK.
Free tuition, free prescriptions, council tax relief and a commitment to end the two-child cap all point to a government that, she argues, genuinely puts families first.
With the political landscape shifting and pressure mounting, the question remains whether Westminster will listen to the voices of campaigners and act to protect the most vulnerable.
For thousands of families across Britain, the stakes could not be higher.
