Motherwell and Wishaw MSP Clare Adamson has demanded that Labour use next month’s Budget to scrap its austerity agenda.
Following a Holyrood debate on Scotland’s priorities for the upcoming UK Budget, Ms Adamson called on Labour to reinstate the universal winter fuel payment, reverse planned damaging cuts to public services, provide promised funding to tackle child poverty and finally scrap the two-child benefit cap.
Ms Adamson said: “The SNP repeatedly warned about the scale of cuts likely to come should Labour be elected. Labour willingly signed up to Tory spending rules.
“Since then, Labour MPs have waved through plans to keep the two-child cap – a key driver of poverty – and cut winter financial support for millions of pensioners.
“It is not too late to act. The UK Government could choose to reinstate the universal Winter Fuel Payment, they could choose to provide the funding they promised to tackle child poverty, they could choose scrap the abhorrent two-child cap and they could choose to cancel further cuts to public services.
“They could choose to do these things which would help my constituents, but I fear they won’t. Since taking office, Labour MPs have voted through policies which are driving poverty; policies that they previously campaigned against in opposition.
“The Tories slashed public investment and it has harmed my Motherwell and Wishaw community. Why are we putting up with more of the same under Labour?
“They promised change. Instead, we get short-changed.”
After criticism of Labour’s plan to axe the winter fuel allowance for millions of pensioners, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said many decisions “will be unpopular” but the cost of fixing the mess “must be shared fairly”.
“If they (the decisions) were popular, they’d be easy,” Mr Starmer told activists at the Labour Party conference.
“But the cost of filling that black hole in our public finances, that will be shared fairly. We will get the welfare bill down because we will tackle long-term sickness and support people back to work.
“We will make every penny work for you because we will root out waste and go after tax avoiders. There will be no stone left unturned.”
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