This morning at the City of Edinburgh Council meeting, Councillor Adam McVey led opposition to the UK government’s tax credit policy.
He was joined by Council Leader, Andrew Burns, as well as Green, Labour and Lib Dem councillors, when he broke the conventional light-hearted tone of today’s last full council meeting to raise the issue.
The SNP Councillor for Leith said : “The Tory policy that has become known as the ‘rape clause’, requiring women to disclose deeply personal information and prove that a third or subsequent child was conceived as a result of rape in order to claim tax credits, is both disgraceful and disgusting.
“Ruth Davidson and the Scottish Tories should be thoroughly ashamed of their party but instead they are defending the indefensible welfare cuts coming from Westminster.
“The two child policy will mean a loss of up to £2,800 every year per child for hardworking families – driving up child poverty after the UK government scrapped their child poverty targets.
“I will continue to fight these heartless policies and I call on all Conservative Councillors and candidates in Edinburgh to stand up for the dignity and human rights of Women in Scotland and condemn these utterly appalling Tory Government policies.”
The co-called ‘rape clause’ is a controversial policy of the UK Government but its effect is felt across the whole country.
The legislation means that tax credits are limited to two children, but if the mother of a third child can prove that the child was conceived as a result of rape, then an exemption applies.
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Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
Typical of the SNP to latch onto something they think they can use as mud to smear people with differing view. They can scrap the clause themselves they have the ability to do it now with no need to refer.
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