The SNP has said Rishi Sunak has “abandoned families” – as polls show a majority of Scots think he didn’t do enough to tackle the Tory cost of living crisis at the spring budget.
Polling by YouGov found three-quarters (75%) of people in Scotland think the announcements made by the Chancellor have not done enough to help people with the cost of living crisis, compared to just 3% who think he has done enough.
Across the UK, 69% of people think he has not done enough, compared to just 6% who think he has.
Separately, new analysis from the Resolution Foundation has found absolute poverty in the UK is expected to rise by 1.3 million people next year (2022-23).
The analysis shows typical working-age household incomes could fall by 4 per cent in real-terms from April, a loss of £1,100, with the incomes of the poorest quarter of households set to fall by 6%
It comes as the UK spring budget was widely panned by leading poverty charities, think tanks and newspapers for not going anywhere near far enough to tackle rising costs or reverse the Tory cuts and tax hikes that Mr Sunak is imposing.
Commenting, SNP Fair Work and Employment spokesperson Chris Stephens MP said:
“Rishi Sunak’s spring budget was a total flop.
“It failed to get a grip on the Tory cost of living crisis – and proved, yet again, that the Tory government is completely out of touch.
“Instead of reversing the Tory cuts and tax hikes that have hammered household incomes, the Chancellor has abandoned families to the biggest drop in living standards in decades.
“The majority of families will be thousands of pounds worse off as a result of damaging Tory policies.
“By raising National Insurance tax, cutting Universal Credit by £1040, and imposing a real-terms cut to pensions and benefits, the Chancellor has made the harmful and unnecessary political choice to push people further into hardship and poverty.
“Under the Tories, the UK already has the worst poverty and inequality in north west Europe, and the highest in-work poverty this century.
“Mr Sunak has now made this problem even worse.
“While the SNP government is leading the way by doubling the Scottish Child Payment and uprating Scottish benefits by 6% – the Chancellor is cancelling out progress with Tory cuts.
“This pitiful budget underlines why Scotland needs to become an independent country, so we can keep Scotland safe from Tory cuts and deliver meaningful help with the full powers that Rishi Sunak has failed to use.”
