John Swinney challenges Scottish Labour to stand up to Keir Starmer over two child benefit cap
dailyrecord.co.ukJohn Swinney has challenged Scottish Labour to stand up to Keir Starmer in demanding an end to the two-child benefit cap. Scottish Labour has said it wants to scrap the limit but UK leader Starmer has so far refused to commit to getting rid of it and did not include it in his manifesto.
The policy restricts Universal Credit and child tax credits to the first two children.First Minister Swinney said the 2017 policy is “indefensible”.The policy also comes with an associated rape clause which allows women who conceived a subsequent child through coercion or abuse to apply for an exemption.
Swinney said: “If Labour’s manifesto is to be believed, they have the financial headroom to scrap this policy – that they are refusing to do so is clearly an attempt to talk tough on social security as they seek right-wing votes south of the border.“Politics is about choices – and Labour is choosing to prioritise austerity over lifting thousands of children out of poverty.
It is a completely indefensible political decision.“Anas Sarwar also has a choice – he can choose doing the right thing for vulnerable children in Scotland, or doing what he is told by Keir Starmer.
Read more on dailyrecord.co.uk
