The SNP has slammed Labour for failing to commit to reversing the
Tories’ planned Universal Credit cuts if they were in government -
and said this shows Scotland is vulnerable under any Westminster
government. In an interview with the Mirror, Labour’s Shadow Work
and Pensions Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, said Labour would
replace Universal Credit with another system but stopped short of
saying the party would reverse Tory cuts to the benefit. The SNP’s
Welfare spokesperson, David...Request free trial
The SNP has slammed Labour for failing to commit to reversing
the Tories’ planned Universal Credit cuts if they were in
government - and said this shows Scotland is vulnerable under any
Westminster government.
In an interview with the Mirror, Labour’s Shadow Work and
Pensions Secretary, , said
Labour would replace Universal Credit with another system but
stopped short of saying the party would reverse Tory cuts to the
benefit.
The SNP’s Welfare spokesperson, , who is
leading a campaign to stop the cuts to Universal Credit, has said
that Labour has failed to stand up for low-income families in
Scotland and across the UK by failing to promise to reverse the cut
that would see the incomes of six million slashed by over £1000 per
year.
The Glasgow MP also criticised the plans to replace the
system - saying that doing so would be another unnecessary and
confusing hit to claimants when it has already been made clear that
the flaws, such as the advance payment loans and the five-week
wait, could be easily fixed if the political will was
there.
Commenting, ,
said:
“Labour’s plans and failure to commit to reversing any Tory
cuts to Universal Credit proves that Scotland is vulnerable under
Westminster control - regardless of what party is in
government.
“Neither the Tories nor Labour can be trusted to stand up for
low-income families in Scotland bearing in mind Labour were the
architects of austerity, imposing cuts that ran deeper than
anything we saw in the Thatcher years, and we are still reeling
from a decade of Tory austerity cuts.
“It is crucial that Scotland has a say on its future with a
referendum for recovery - independence is the only way we can
protect people in Scotland from further austerity cuts.”
