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The voice of Scotland’s vibrant voluntary sector

Published by Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations

TFN is published by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, Mansfield Traquair Centre, 15 Mansfield Place, Edinburgh, EH3 6BB. The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation. Registration number SC003558.

Former charity executive backs two child cap

 

Criticism for newly elected MP

A former anti-poverty charity boss now an elected MP has been slated for voting against scrapping the two-child benefit cap.

Kirsty McNeil, who left her role at Save the Children to become Labour MP for Midlothian, was one of thr many Labour MPs who voted against an SNP amendment to the King’s Speech calling for the cap to end.

Save the Children has been a vociferous opponent to the two child cap.

McNeill used her maiden Commons speech to highlight children’s poverty.

She said: “We are all of us products of the investments made in us as children so it is to Midlothian’s children and young people I made my most solemn undertakings in my maiden speech.”

Former Labour MSP Neil Findlay said: “Disappointed that no Scottish Labour MP has signed this motion despite it being the clear position of the Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar.”

Meanwhile, Steven Campbell – who is the Convener of Young Scots for Independence – said: "My new Labour MP Kirsty McNeill voted against scrapping the two-child cap. Here she is promising Midlothian she ‘will always fight for your family as if it’s my own’.

“I guess that doesn’t include poorer families who have the audacity to have more than two kids. Shameful.”

 

Comments

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Wen
4 months ago

People were promised change. The Scottish government has done a great deal to alleviate the two child limit (not enough imho, but they are handicapped).

Meantime Labour promised 'change' - but said little about what that entailed. Now we know - they will talk about it and do bu***r all.

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Michael hogg
4 months ago

Like to comment on the last comment - saying it’s right to keep the 2 children benefit cap - I cannot believe any decent person with an once of humility could even consider supporting the cap - as has been said on countless occasions by lifting the cap this will immediately bring 350,000 kids out of poverty - therefore lifting the cap is right fair & prudent - let’s not forget the Labour Party slogan throughout there campaign & I quote

Country first party second ? - therefore lifting the cap on this barbaric policy is surely putting country first & rightly putting party second - Labour will be judged on there actions & when we have foreign wars we appear to find money no problem to fight the aggressor- therefore this aggression towards the 2 child benefit cap has to go & the quicker it is ditched the quicker we start bringing kids out of poverty

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Steve Condon
4 months ago

Why should the governments pay for people continuing to have lots of kids, if they cannot afford to look after them. The cap is right to have in place and lots of people support this view. Taxes are too high in Scotland compared with across the UK maybe this can be looked at by the Scottish Government as people are poorer in this country than compared to other countries.