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‘Work must start now’: Scottish Labour demand immediate action to tackle poverty

Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison.
Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison.

Scottish Labour is calling on Shona Robison take immediate action using the powers of the Scottish Parliament to tackle poverty and inequality.

It comes ahead of a new national mission to end poverty which will be announced during a Holyrood debate this afternoon.

The plan will include calls for the devolution of employment powers to the Scottish Parliament, which the Scottish Government say would allow for the introduction of a real living wage.

Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison said all Scotland’s political parties must unite to eradicate poverty.

However, opposition parties say the SNP government should focus on implementing the powers it already has at its disposal.

Scottish Labour’s Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice and Social Security, Pam Duncan-Glancy said work should begin immediately, by “using all the powers available to the Scottish Parliament”.

Pam Duncan-Glancy, Scottish Labour’s Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice and Social Security is calling for immediate action from the Scottish Government to tackle poverty.

The newly-elected MSP published a document outlining the immediate actions that could be taken by the SNP to reduce poverty.

This includes immediately bringing forward the doubling of the Scottish Child Payment to £20 a week and introducing a supplement for families with a disabled person.

Ms Duncan-Glancy said: “We will, as we always have, continue to fight policies that increase poverty and inequality wherever they’re made, and push governments in both Scotland and the UK when they don’t go hard or fast enough on tackling them.”

‘Completely incapable’

In response to a letter from Ms Robison calling for more powers over the weekend, Scottish Conservatives leader Douglas Ross said he would be “embarassed to pen a letter requesting more responsibility when your party and government have proven completely incapable of introducing new powers for Scotland”.

He added the SNP had failed to introduce 11 new benefit payments devolved by the UK Government through the 2016 Scotland Act.

MSPs will hold their first debate in the new parliament on tackling poverty and inequality in the Holyrood chamber this afternoon.

Ahead of the debate, Ms Robison said: “While the pandemic has thrown into sharp relief the hardships faced by many in the country, it has also shown that we can make change happen at the pace and scale required for this new national mission.”