BORIS Johnson is accused of being more interested in his VIP “ Brexit plane” than helping families in poverty.
Ian Blackford took aim at the Tory leader at Prime Minister’s Questions after it emerged that a military plane used by Johnson and members of the royal family is being repainted in the colours of the Union flag.
The RAF Voyager jet is being painted with blue, white and red colours after the PM complained about it being grey. Johnson has previously advocated for a "Brexit plane" to help him travel the world and promote the UK Government's vision of a “global Britain”.
READ MORE: Boris Johnson branded 'trash act' as jet gets 'Union flag makeover'
In the Commons, SNP Westminster leader Blackford said Marcus Rashford "has shown more moral leadership in tackling poverty in a matter of days than this Tory government has in this past decade of cuts".
He called on the PM to "immediately uplift" the child element of Universal Credit and child tax credit by £20 per week.
“We’re talking about an extra £20 a week to stop families having to make the choice between paying their bills or feeding their children. That’s the harsh reality, Prime Minister,” Blackford said.
WATCH: PM says aide who doubted institutional racism is 'brilliant thinker'
“This is a question of helping people survive. This Tory Government has seen a decade of austerity that his driven people into poverty, that has scrapped child poverty targets.
“Rather than reversing the damaging policies, they have pushed millions into poverty. The Prime Minister is more interested in finding money to spend on his own vanity project – a luxury VIP plane.
“Is he seriously saying that he won’t find £20 a week to help families who are struggling to survive?”
WATCH: Bumbling Johnson accuses arch-Unionist MP of being pro-indy
Boris Johnson said “of course” that wasn’t the case.
"This is a Government that has done everything that we possibly can so far to help families in need to make sure that nobody is penalised for doing the right thing during the crisis because I know how difficult it has been,” he commented.
"That's why we uprated the Universal Credit by £1044, benefiting, I think, four million families in this country ... we are fully aware that there will be tough times ahead and we do stand by to do more where we can."
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel