Campaigners sorely disappointed

King Charles’ speech to parliament has been a damp squib for Scots living in poverty, campaigners have lamented.

Anti-poverty groups hoped the speech would contain, among other proposals, scrapping the two child Universal Credit benefit cap but it was not forthcoming.

Indeed the speech swerved poverty entirely, leaving campaigners concerned for the new government’s agenda on those living on low incomes.

The two-child cap, introduced by the Conservatives in 2017, prevents parents from claiming Universal Credit or child tax credits for a third child, except in very limited circumstances.

Critics say it is contributing to rising levels of child poverty, with larger families unable to claim about £3,200 a year per extra child.

The Scottish Government has mitigated the cap through its devolved social security benefit system and has long called for the UK government to axe it altogether.

Poverty Alliance chief executive Peter Kelly said people in Scotland and across the UK believe in justice and compassion but they don’t want to live in a country where a fifth of households live in poverty, including 2.6 million children.

He said: “They can see how food insecurity, deprivation, low pay, insecure work, and lack of investment in our public services are damaging their communities.

“The new government’s first king's speech was an opportunity for it to set out a new path on poverty. After years of policies that have failed to stem the rising tide of poverty across the UK, we expected to hear more on the early actions the new government would take to begin to turn that rising tide.

“Many of the bills announced today are welcomed – strengthening workers’ rights, in particular - but poverty was missing from the speech today.

“That absence will mean millions across the UK will still face the same policies and rules that have kept them in poverty under the last government – the five week wait for benefits, the benefit cap, the two-child limit. We have known for years about the deeply damaging impact that these policies have, now is the time to change them.

“People want a strong, secure, and stable society that gives people a foundation to build lives beyond poverty. It is what they expect from the new Labour government.

“It’s what the Poverty Alliance expects too, and we will continue to make the case for the necessary action to be taken as soon as possible."

This was echoed by Alison Garnham, chief executive of the Child Poverty Action Group.

She said: “The new government pledged an ambitious approach to tackling child poverty but there was little to help achieve that aim in the speech today.

“The two-child limit is the biggest driver of rising child poverty and teachers, struggling parents and even children themselves can testify to the harm the policy is causing to kids day in, day out.

“All eyes will now be on government’s first budget, which must commit to scrapping this policy. Delaying its abolition will harm many more young lives and undercut the government’s poverty-reduction plans.”

The speech was, however, given a guarded welcome by STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer.

She said: “Pomp and pageantry aside, this is a more progressive programme for government than we’ve seen after 14 years of Tory mismanagement.

“The New Deal for Working People can be the start of a new chapter for workers. If enacted fully, the New Deal gives rights, security and respect to working people throughout the UK. It must now be delivered in full without delay. It is right this is accompanied by a new industrial strategy council. We look forward to working with the UK Government to ensure this body is representative and impactful, creating a minimum floor of working rights across every nation of the UK.

"It’s further welcome that the UK Government finally seeks to legislate further to end the scourge of race-based pay discrimination – working people of all nationalities deserve nothing less.

“This will, undoubtedly, be aided if the Labour Government sticks true to its pledge and seeks to revitalise the devolution settlement through the Council of the Nations and Regions. As part of this, we must see further powers devolved to the Scottish Parliament, including powers over employment, migration and more. The siting of GB Energy in Scotland is very positive. We hope it will become more than an inward investment tool and will develop a strategy for direct public ownership to deliver the infrastructure and supply chain jobs we so desperately need.

“The commitment to bring railways back into public ownership is a long-standing demand of trade unions who have fought against the carnage brought by privatisation. Economic growth is a welcome, central tenant of this government’s mission. But that cannot be done through the exploitation of working people. The prime minister has a job on his hands to restore standards and investment to public life and public services.

"With the Scottish Parliament elections just around the corner, we look forward to him delivering on his pledges for workers in Scotland.”