JOHN Swinney has warned Labour “Scotland will never forgive you” should the UK Government attempt to block the ending of the two-child cap on benefits.
During her Budget announcement on Wednesday, Shona Robison said the SNP Government would attempt to mitigate the impact of the Tory-introduced policy.
However, the Finance Secretary said this would rely on cooperation from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), which holds the relevant data.
Writing in The Times, John Swinney said the DWP “absolutely must not stand in our way”.
He said: “I will do absolutely everything in my power to lift children in Scotland out of poverty and end this scourge once and for all.
“That is what you can expect from a John Swinney government. I will leave no stone unturned and I will take every step I possibly can to support families in Scotland.
“We can’t mitigate every cruel UK Government policy. Because whether it is a Tory or a Labour one, we know that they will always sell Scotland short.
“But people in Scotland can be assured that we will work day and night to do everything we possibly can to support them.
“Ending the two-child cap gets to the heart of what my government is about. I listened to the families across the country who were telling me how much they were struggling and I have taken action to support them.
“I now expect that this measure will see cross-party support when the Budget is voted on in Parliament in the weeks to come.
“If the Labour Party tries to play politics and block this measure, the people of Scotland will simply never forgive them.”
Swinney (above) further added that his message to Labour is to “join us in ending the two-child cap” and “speak with one voice in saying child poverty in Scotland should be a thing of the past”.
The two-child cap on benefits was introduced across the UK by Tory chancellor George Osborne in 2015.
However, Labour faced fierce criticism for voting against scrapping the cap earlier this year after winning the General Election.
