Matching Scottish child payment would lift 563,000 out of poverty – SNP

Matching the Scottish child payment in the child element of Universal Credit could lift more than half a million children in the UK out of poverty, research commissioned by the SNP suggests.

The party has challenged Labour to match the flagship devolved benefit in the UK Budget at the end of October.

Qualifying families in Scotland can receive the weekly payment of £26.70 per child.

Research from the House of Commons library estimates that increasing the child element of Universal Credit could lift around 563,000 children out of poverty.

This equates to 479,000 in England, 40,400 in Scotland, 27,000 in Wales and 16,700 in Northern Ireland.

Such a move would increase the incomes of more than 2.6 million households by £1,390 per child per year.

SNP work and pensions spokeswoman Kirsty Blackman said: “It’s a scandal that so many children across the UK are living in poverty – and it’s unforgivable that the Labour Government has made the political choice to push even more children into destitution by continuing damaging welfare cuts like the two-child benefit cap.

“It’s time for Keir Starmer to get serious about eradicating child poverty. The Labour Government must take bold and urgent action at the UK Budget, including abolishing the two-child benefit cap immediately and matching the SNP Government’s Scottish child payment UK-wide.

“The evidence is clear, doing so would lift more than half a million children out of poverty across the UK – including more than 40,000 children in communities across Scotland.

“Governments are defined by the choices they make.

“SNP Government policies are lifting children out of poverty but for every step Scotland takes forward, Westminster is dragging us back as draconian Labour Party austerity cuts push more children into poverty.

“It’s time for the Labour Government to start delivering the change they promised – instead of copying the Tories and imposing even more cuts.”

Labour ministers have said tackling child poverty is a top priority and in August a taskforce to deal with the issue met for the first time.

A child poverty strategy is due to be published in spring next year.

The Department for Work and Pensions said the taskforce will look at “all available levers across Government” to reduce child poverty.

A UK Government spokesman said: “No child should be in poverty, that’s why our new cross-Government taskforce is developing an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty and give children in every part of the UK the best start in life.

“Alongside this, we have committed to reviewing Universal Credit and we are delivering the New Deal for Working People to turn the minimum wage into a real living wage and make work pay.”