SCOTTISH Labour have been accused of “teaming up with the Tories” after the party voted against progressing legislation that would automate the payment of certain social security benefits.
Yesterday, Minister for Social Security Ben Macpherson MSP laid out plans in Holyrood to automate the payment of additional benefits for those in receipt of the Scottish Child Payment.
After gaining the backing of a majority in the Scottish Parliament it is expected that the Best Start Grant Early Learning Payment and Best Start Grant School Age Payment will be automated from the end of November.
It means that families already receiving the Scottish Child Payment will receive these benefits automatically without the need to apply.
However, while the SNP, Scottish Greens and Scottish Liberal Democrats voted in favour of the motion, Scottish Labour voted against alongside the Scottish Conservatives.
Commenting, SNP MSP Natalie Don said: “Frankly, Scottish Labour should be ashamed of teaming up with the Tories, especially when it comes to social security - instead of supporting the SNP’s plan to get cash into the pockets of eligible people more easily during a cost-of-living crisis.
"This kind of blatant political game playing is not only pathetically tribal but, more importantly, it doesn't help the households struggling with the Tory made cost of living crisis just now - it is nothing more than opposition for opposition's sake and people across Scotland deserve far better.
"Unfortunately, Labour is offering no ideas, no solutions and no alternative to the Tories, making it crystal clear that the only way to properly protect the people of Scotland from the devastating consequences of Westminster control is to become an independent country.”
Labour MSP Pam Duncan-Glancy submitting an amendment which regretted that the payments were not yet automated and which called on further automation for social security payments to be expedited.
However, the amendment did not pass and the party said that it could not support the Scottish Government's "self-congratulatory" motion.
Duncan-Glancy said: “It is frankly embarrassing that the SNP are attacking us for having the audacity to criticise their record of failure.
“Scottish Labour have long fought for automatic payments – but we could not support the SNP’s self-congratulatory motion, which glossed over their woefully inadequate progress.”
