SCOTLAND’S First Minister has encouraged Keir Starmer to look to Scotland for inspiration on how to deal with child poverty.
We previously told how the Labour leader sparked outrage after he told the BBC his party would not reverse the two-child benefit cap should they come to power.
It has led to criticism from across the political spectrum as well as from leading charities.
Writing for the Daily Record, Yousaf said that when he became FM he pledged that tackling child poverty would be one of his “defining missions”.
He said: “Keir Starmer should not be remotely surprised by the level of anger and dismay people feel toward him this week.
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“This is a cruel policy which, of course, predominantly affects working families – families struggling to get by in the UK’s low-wage Brexit-based economy.
“One of its many consequences is the abhorrent rape clause, where a woman must disclose that her child was conceived as a result of rape in order to access social security.”
Yousaf (below) added that SNP and Labour politicians have often stood side by side to stand against the Tories policies.
“To hear Sir Keir – who wants to be the next prime minister – declare that he won’t scrap the cap, after everything Labour have said, is a massive betrayal to all those Labour members who put faith in him and elected him leader. It is unforgivable.
“To say reversing this policy can’t be done because of the economic situation is frankly an insult to people’s intelligence.”
Earlier this week, research commissioned by the SNP found that the two-child cap has affected more than 80,000 children in Scotland in the last year.
In his column, Yousaf told Starmer to turn to Scotland for inspiration on welfare policies rather than copying the Tories.
Yousaf said: “So what I say to him is this. Rather than copying welfare policies from the Tories, you should be looking to what is happening in Scotland under the SNP.
“Rather than taking money away from children in low-income households as the UK Government are doing, we’re finding the money to provide badly-needed additional support.
“Our Scottish Child Payment is now providing £25 a week to families of eligible kids under 16.
“Taken together with the range of other anti-poverty measures we’ve introduced, SNP government actions are lifting an estimated 90,000 children in Scotland out of poverty this year.
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“But for all the measures we are introducing in Scotland – for all the tough choices we make in our limited budget, to mitigate Westminster cuts and tackle child poverty – we are doing all of it with one hand tied behind our backs.”
The First Minister then made the “suggestion” to the Labour leader that he work with the SNP to “eradicate child poverty” should he become prime minister.
He said that SNP MPs “stand ready to work with you to scrap the two-child cap” as well as a number of “other insidious Tory welfare cuts”.
Yousaf also said the SNP would work to create a UK-wide version of the Scottish Child Payment.
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