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Scottish Labour urged to stand against Starmer’s cruel social security cuts

It is the people with the least who are paying the biggest price for Labour's cuts.

The Scottish Greens have called on Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar to stick by his promise of “no austerity under Labour” by opposing the reported attacks on social security coming from Downing Street.

Reports over recent days have suggested that Chancellor Rachel Reeves is seeking to make billions of pounds worth of cuts to disability benefits to make up for her economic failure to date.

The Scottish Greens social justice spokesperson, Maggie Chapman MSP, said:

“From cutting Winter Fuel Payments and plunging pensioners into poverty to keeping the punishing two child cap and betraying WASPI women, it is people with the least who are paying the biggest price for this Labour government.

“Labour promised change but what they are offering is a continuation of the same cruel and unnecessary Tory policies that have already done so much damage. Now they are imposing cuts and policies that they have spent the last 14 years telling us they are against, with reports of far more to come. Is this what they meant when they campaigned for change?

“During the election Anas Sarwar could not have been clearer. He told us to ‘read his lips’ and promised that there would be no more austerity under Labour. Did he know what was coming or has he been taken for a fool by Keir Starmer?

“Anas Sarwar represents some of the most marginalised and deprived communities in our country. It is time for him to take a stand and make clear that Scottish Labour MPs were elected by promising an end to austerity and that they will not back further cuts.

“Austerity is a choice. By asking the wealthiest to pay a bit more we could lift the two child cap, bring back Winter Fuel Payments and do so much more to build the kind of fairer and better country that Labour is supposed to be committed to delivering.”

According to research from the Tax Justice Network, a 1% annual wealth tax on net assets over £10 million could raise almost £10 billion a year while only affecting the richest 0.4% of the population.

Ms Chapman added:

“A humane and supportive social security system can change lives. We have seen that with the Scottish Child Payment which has been one of the most important anti-poverty policies anywhere in Europe.

“That’s the kind of initiative we need to see from the UK government, rather than them constantly making us use very limited resources to offset and mitigate their cuts. 

"With the powers of a normal country we could do so much more to end the years of cuts and austerity and lift children and families out of poverty.”