THE SNP have called for the UK Government to publish an urgent assessment of the impact of its planned cuts to pandemic financial support this autumn.
The party’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford MP said there is a “very real danger” the proposed Tory cuts to Universal Credit, furlough and business support by the autumn could push millions of people into poverty and cause unemployment to rise across the UK.
Last week, the UK’s furlough scheme started to wind down, with the Covid support measure being phased out by the end of September.
A £20-a-week cut in extra Universal Credit support introduced during the pandemic is also due to take effect around that time. The Children’s Commissioner for Scotland has previously warned Tory plans to implement this would be “catastrophic” for families.
Last week, Welfare Delivery Minister Will Quince admitted that “no assessment has been made” of how the cut in Universal Credit – which adds up to £1040 a year for families – will affect child poverty in Scotland.
Blackford said: “The UK Government must publish an urgent impact assessment of the effect that planned Tory cuts will have on household incomes and levels of unemployment, poverty and inequality.
“There is a very real danger that, by withdrawing financial support this autumn, the Tory government will slash family incomes, cause rising unemployment, and send levels of poverty soaring.
“Millions of families are already living on the breadline and struggling to get by. The £1040 cut to Universal Credit must be reversed altogether with a complete U-turn – otherwise we will inevitably see a Tory poverty crisis this winter.
“The UK Government must also rethink its plans to end furlough and business support in September. Cutting off support prematurely will almost certainly cause an unnecessary spike in unemployment and leave businesses in the lurch in the event of a winter wave of Covid.”
He added: “If the UK Government is going to press ahead with these cuts, against all the warnings and existing evidence, then they must at least publish a full impact assessment for complete transparency – so the effect of these cuts can be scrutinised before it is too late.”
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