A MAJOR report predicting that Scotland is to “buck the trend” and see child poverty rates fall while they rise across the UK should be a wake-up call for Labour, the Social Justice Secretary has said.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has entered power pledging to deliver economic growth before all other considerations – but a stronger economy is likely to make little difference to the poorest UK households, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) warned.
In its annual barometer of poverty rates across the UK, the charity forecasted that Scotland’s child poverty rate could fall to 21.8% by 2029 from the current rate of 23.7%. However, Wales will see an increase from 32.3% to 34.4%, England from 30.8% to 31.5%, and Northern Ireland from 25.5% to 26.2%.
The JRF called for targeted support to help reverse the trends, pointing to the Scottish Child Payment and the SNP’s plans to scrap the two-child benefit cap in Scotland as examples.
The charity said it is “deeply unjust” to expect struggling families to wait for wider economic growth, as Labour have said must come first.
Scotland’s Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville called for the JRF report to be a “wake-up call for the UK Government”.
“It is very welcome to see that child poverty rates in Scotland are expected to fall in the years ahead, thanks in part to measures like our Scottish Child Payment, but we are clear that no child should live in poverty in a country as prosperous as Scotland,” she said.
“This report should act as a wake-up call for the UK Government and shows them exactly what they need to do to support our efforts to end child poverty – including abolishing the two-child limit and delivering progress toward an Essentials Guarantee, which the Scottish Government has repeatedly called on them to do.”
An Essentials Guarantee would ensure that everyone has access to basic necessities like food, shelter, and healthcare, regardless of their financial situation. The JRF has also previously called for such a guarantee.
The charity said while the new Labour Government had, as part of its October Budget, taken some steps around Universal Credit, boosted the national living wage, and increased investment in social housing, these were “timid” moves and “fall a long way short of what is required to deliver the scale of change needed”.
The JRF said the Government’s child poverty strategy, expected in spring, must abolish the two-child limit on benefits and introduce a protected minimum amount of support to Universal Credit to ensure households can afford the essentials.
Paul Kissack, JRF chief executive, said for the strategy to be “credible” it must include policies that “rebuild the tattered social security system”.
“Even very strong economic growth won’t automatically change the picture.
“Policy action must start with the system designed to help people meet their costs of living – social security.”
Somerville pointed to the SNP Budget, which is certain to pass after gaining the support of LibDems and the Greens.
“The draft Scottish Budget for 2025-26 prioritises action to eradicate child poverty, including through investment in breakfast clubs, employability and by developing the systems to mitigate the two-child limit – with estimates that scrapping the cap could lift around 15,000 children out of poverty,” the Social Justice Secretary said.
“The report shows that Scotland is bucking the trend on child poverty rates elsewhere in the UK.
“However, we are in no doubt that there is still much more to do and we will leave no stone unturned across government as we seek to eradicate child poverty.”
A UK Government spokesperson said: “No child should be in poverty – that’s why our ministerial taskforce is exploring all levers available across government to give children across the United Kingdom the best start in life, while our Plan for Change will raise living standards across the country.
“As we fix the foundations of the economy, we’re increasing the Living Wage, uprating benefits and supporting 700,000 of the poorest families with children by introducing a Fair Repayment Rate on Universal Credit deductions to help low-income families and make everyone better off.”
