Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale will announce another part of her party’s manifesto later today designed to tackle child poverty.
She accused the SNP and Tory governments of abandoning tens of thousands of children who are trapped in poverty.
The Scottish Labour leader says the Nationalists and Tories are  too focused on dividing our society.
The manifesto pledges that a UK Labour Government will seek to end child poverty across the entire country, and includes polices for Scotland such as:
• Boosting Child Benefit by £240 a year by the end of decade
• A £10 minimum wage
• Doubling the Sure Start maternity grant to £1,030
• A twice a year ‘seasonal grant’ for the poorest families
• Building 60,000 new homes, including 45,000 for social rent
Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale said:
“Child poverty is a national scandal. It should shame the Tories and the SNP that in the last year 40,000 more children are living in poverty. That simply isn’t good enough.
“Labour’s child poverty manifesto is a bold blueprint to put ending child poverty at the heart of government. It means making Holyrood’s social security powers work, asking the richest to pay their fair share to invest in public services, and boosting wages.
“Scotland has suffered from a housing crisis for years and the result of that is families trapped on waiting lists and 70,000 more children pushed beneath the breadline.  That’s why we urgently need to build more homes.
“Using Holyrood’s powers, Labour would increase Child Benefit to lift thousands of youngsters out of poverty, and a minimum wage of £10-an-hour will end the scandal of in-work poverty.
“The SNP and the Tories are both focused on dividing our society – be it through an unwanted and unnecessary second independence referendum in the case of Nicola Sturgeon, or further austerity with Theresa May.
“Only Labour will focus on ending child poverty and deliver a government for the many, not the few.”
Website | + posts

Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.