One Million More Children Have Been Pushed into Poverty Under the Tory Government Since 2010

The SNP’s George Adam has condemned the Tory government’s record of failure after a report estimated that one million more children have been pushed into poverty under the Tory Government since 2010.
 
Research for the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has estimated that the Tories’ benefit cuts will leave 3.1 million children with working parents below the official breadline this year.

This is revealed the same day a Channel 4 investigation has found that seven out of ten frontline Department for Work and Pensions staff want the roll-out of Universal Credit to be halted.

A Resolution Foundation report, State of Working Scotland, concluded over two years ago that Universal Credit could reduce work incentives and cuts to in-work support would “have a large impact” on incomes.

George Adam MSP, who sits on Holyrood’s Social Security Committee, said:

“Revelations that this Tory Government is responsible for leaving 3.1 million children with working parents in poverty this year expose how profoundly flawed their welfare policies are.

“The Tories were warned time and again that their dismantling of the welfare state would drive millions of children into poverty, and while working parents are being forced to turn to emergency aid and food banks just to feed their children, they continue to claim that the system is working in the face of all the evidence.  

“With our limited powers over welfare in Scotland we are building a social security agency with dignity and respect at its heart, and we are spending more than £100m a year mitigating some of the cruel welfare cuts.

"But as long as the UK Government persist with such damaging, callous policies we will be tackling poverty with one hand tied behind our backs.”