Universal Credit uplift must be reinstated
One million people are living in poverty in Scotland today. Over 260,000 are on furlough, record numbers are without work and nearly half a million people are claiming Universal Credit in Scotland. In the midst of the hardest year in living memory, people have had to turn to a system that offers the lowest level of unemployment support since around 1990.
This Tory Government has presided over one of the most toxic social security systems in our history. Adding a £20 uplift in the midst of a global pandemic was the right, indeed the least thing they could do. Even with it, families with children still get £2,900 less than ten years ago. Cutting it is unfathomable. The UK Government must reinstate the uplift.
✂️ This Tory Government either does not know or does not care about the harm the cut to Universal Credit will cause to struggling families across the UK.
❌ This government is morally bankrupt. pic.twitter.com/3PubF4pn1y
— Scottish Labour (@ScottishLabour) July 21, 2021
But ending poverty needs action from the SNP too. They must be willing to put their money where their mouth is, and get moving to use the powers we have here in Scotland. They can and should begin that work now, starting with doubling the Scottish Child Payment immediately, and starting work to deliver a Minimum Income Guarantee.
260,000 children live in poverty in Scotland.
The Scottish Gov should double the Scottish Child Payment immediately & ensure interim payments reach all who need them.
The focus of both governments should be to relentlessly protect people from poverty. https://t.co/wewFj6iaDQ
— Pam Duncan-Glancy MSP (@GlasgowPam) July 23, 2021
There is no time to waste. We have all come through the collective trauma of the past year together. We all know what it’s like to live without being free to leave our house, free to move around, free to go to work, free to visit family, free to go to the cinema or free to meet friends. For millions of people in poverty, this has been the case for decades. No-one should endure it a moment longer. The time to act is now.