THE UK Government has been warned not to “push even more families into hardship” by imposing austerity cuts, ahead of a poverty summit at Westminster.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves will unveil her Spring Budget on Wednesday where she is expected to slash spending for the Civil Service, with Labour already having outlined £5 billion worth of cuts to welfare.
The proposed cuts to the welfare budget have already proved unpopular with Labour backbenchers and have been heavily criticised by disability charities and organisations.
Ahead of Reeves's budget statement, the SNP have held a summit at Westminster with the aim of discussing the steps needed to tackle and eradicate poverty in the UK with national and local charities and stakeholders.
SNP MP Kirsty Blackman (below) said it is a “badge of shame” for Labour that poverty and inequality are at record levels under their watch.
“The Labour Party must not push even more families into hardship and poverty by imposing a new wave of austerity cuts at the emergency budget tomorrow,” she said.
“It is a badge of shame that poverty and inequality are rising to record levels under the Labour Government, with 4.6 million UK children expected to be in poverty by the end of this parliament.”
The Resolution Foundation, a think tank which aims to improve the living standards for low- to middle-income families, has warned that without action the number of children living in poverty across the UK is expected to rise to 4.6 million - the highest level on record.
The foundation has forecasted that UK child poverty will increase from an estimated 31% in 2024-25 to 33% by 2029-30, with a further 300,000 children falling into poverty.
Blackman added: “The cuts to disabled people and the winter fuel allowance will entrench poverty in the UK.
“Instead of taking more money from hard-pressed families, the Chancellor should abandon these cuts and take urgent action to lift families out of poverty.
“That means putting money in people's pockets by matching the Scottish Child Payment, scrapping the two child cap and abolishing the bedroom tax. A partial fudge on the two child cap will not wash, when poverty is soaring on Keir Starmer's watch.”
The Resolution Foundation also warned that the UK Government's cuts to disability benefits will result in increased poverty, with between 800,000 and 1.2m disabled people set to lose support of between £4200 and £6300 a year by 2029-30.
Separately, The End Child Poverty coalition also warned the cuts would “deepen child poverty” and has questioned the Labour Government’s commitment to reduce child poverty across the UK.
“People in Scotland will not forgive the Labour Party if it presses ahead with austerity 2.0 and pushes even more people into poverty,” Blackman said.
Last week Reeves (below) rejected data from a leading poverty charity which suggested the average family in the UK could be £1400 a year worse off by 2030.
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) research showed that the living standards for the poorest third are forecast to drop twice as much compared with middle and high earners, though everyone is expected to become worse off.
The charity, which conducts research into reducing poverty, added that it believes the UK Government will miss one of its stated “milestones”, to raise living standards across the UK before the next election.
Alfie Stirling, director of insight and policy at JRF, said Labour risks presiding over “a rapid rise in inequality” and becoming the “first parliament on modern record to see a fall in average living standards from start to finish”.
The prediction could be bleaker for some as JRF's analysis doesn't account for the announced £5bn in cuts to welfare.
The Treasury has been approached for comment.
