John Swinney emphasizes urgency in addressing child poverty and criticizes Labour’s inaction on the benefit cap
Livingston: Scotland’s First Minister, John Swinney, is really pushing for action on the two-child benefit cap. He’s not waiting for Labour to make a move. He’s all about tackling child poverty and wants to make sure no one is left behind.
He’s been pretty vocal about his disappointment with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Swinney thinks voters expected Labour to do something about this after their win in July, but so far, nothing’s changed. Starmer has said they’ll only scrap the cap when the finances allow, but he hasn’t given a clear timeline.
Mr. Swinney made it clear: “We can’t wait for a Labour Government.” He’s committed to doing everything he can to fight child poverty. During a recent budget presentation, he called the cap “pernicious” and assured everyone that it would be removed.
While Starmer acknowledges the need to tackle child poverty, he believes it’s a complex issue that goes beyond just removing the cap. He mentioned that you have to consider housing, health, and education to really make a difference.
But Swinney isn’t buying it. He thinks Labour should have acted by now. Speaking from a nursery, he pointed out that they could have lifted the Tory limit but haven’t done so yet.
He also talked about plans for Scotland, saying they’re preparing to mitigate the cap, with payments expected to start in 2026. That’s right around the time of the Holyrood elections, but he insists it’s not about politics.
He’s counting on the UK Department for Work and Pensions to provide the necessary info to move forward. Swinney is hopeful they can roll things out sooner than 2026, depending on how quickly they can access the data.
He’s got a whole series of initiatives lined up to fight child poverty, but he admitted that rising inflation has made it tough to keep promises like providing free school meals for all primary kids.
Right now, only kids up to P5 get free lunches, but he’s got plans in the works to extend this to P6 and P7 for those who qualify for the Scottish child payment. He explained that they had to focus on the most vulnerable kids due to budget constraints.
He’s also defending his government’s tax changes, which some critics say won’t make much difference. The upcoming budget will raise the tax threshold, but it’s not a huge boost for everyone. For instance, someone earning £25,000 might only see a £5 increase.
Mr. Swinney sees these tax changes as part of a broader effort to help people deal with the cost of living. He’s pushing for significant pay increases in the public sector, especially for those on lower incomes.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has said they want to work with Swinney’s government to end the two-child cap. He agrees with the goal but points out that the current budget doesn’t allocate any funds for it.
He stressed that it’s important to recognize that the budget doesn’t actually scrap the cap. Sarwar also highlighted the need for a UK-wide approach to tackle poverty, emphasizing the importance of the Child Poverty Taskforce.