EAGLE-EYED FMQs viewers will have spotted that all MSPs are wearing blue badges in the Scottish Parliament this afternoon.

Every party leader and their MSPs who were present in the socially distanced Chamber sported the pins on their lapels to raise awareness of Challenge Poverty Week.

Challenge Poverty Week, organised by The Poverty Alliance, takes place from October 5 to 11 and is aimed at uniting people across society to speak out against poverty.

The campaign wants to build awareness around solutions to poverty, and help to end the stigma around living on a low-income.

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This year the campaign is focused on three key messages – that too many people in Scotland face the “constant pressure” of living in poverty, that the economy must be redesigned to be more compassionate in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis, and that boosting people’s incomes and reducing the cost of living is the key to a more equal Scotland.

According to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation almost one in five people in Scotland live in poverty. The situation is worse for children, with one in four believed to be living in poverty.

During FMQs the Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie raised the campaign, telling the Chamber: “Right now workers across Scotland are faced with financial hardship, job losses and uncertainty especially in hospitality businesses – which even before the pandemic already suffered from endemic low pay, insecure contracts and poor working conditions.”

The National:

Pictured: A close-up of the badges worn in the Chamber

He said today, as part of Challenge Poverty Week, all MSPs were being asked to step up on action to achieve fair work practices – pointing out that some employers have asked staff to take unpaid leave due to new hospitality restrictions.

Harvie asked how many full-paid jobs the Scottish Government’s £40 million fund to help businesses forced to close would support, and whether it matched “the scale of need” in the sector.

Nicola Sturgeon said ministers have been having discussions with stakeholders and will shortly announce details on how the £40m will be allocated across businesses.

The First Minister said the Government dug as deep as it could in its budget to make the £40m available but “what we really need to see is action from the UK Government” to “properly compensate” businesses which are forced to close due to the pandemic.

Visit www.challengepoverty.net/ to find out more.