Adam slams UK government for 'consigning millions to destitution'
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A NORTH-east MSP has accused the UK government of "consigning millions to destitution" through its policies.
SNP MSP for Banffshire and Buchan Coast Karen Adam went on to say that independence was the only way to tackle the likes of child poverty in Scotland.
She made the call after a fresh report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation revealed 13.4 million people were in poverty during 2020/21, including 3.9 million children.
The report also found that: 1.3 million primary school children and 1 million children who are under four were growing up in poverty even with additional support, and as a result are now experiencing the sharp end of the hardship caused by the cost of living crisis; One in six (18 per cent) children were living in persistent poverty (spending at least three out of the last four years in poverty); Almost 40 per cent of children in a lone parent family are in poverty; The pandemic highlighted huge health inequalities, with a strong overlap between poverty rates and where you live, your ethnicity and your health outcomes; The £20 uplift in Universal Credit took some families out of poverty, proving that government action can make things better. However, this help was taken away as the cost of living rose, and many are now unable to afford the essentials such as food, hygiene and warmth.
Ms Adam, who sits on the Scottish Parliament’s Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee, has warned the foundation’s annual report survey should have “shocked the Tories into action”.
She continued: “The UK government have chosen to prioritise an ideology of austerity and support policies which increase the rates of child poverty in this country, proving beyond a doubt the need for Scotland to take our destiny in our own hands in the form of Scottish independence.
“The latest figures should have shocked the Tories into action, but learning from the past 13 years of bad UK governance, we now know that there is no amount of evidence that will prompt action or a reversal to address the suffering they have created in the UK.
“In comparison to the Tories’ austerity agenda, two-child limit, rape clause, sanctions regime and cuts to social security – the Scottish Government have made concerted efforts to support parents and children through the Baby Box, Scottish Child payment, and brand-new social security payments. This paints a very stark picture of the difference in priorities of Scotland’s two governments in Holyrood and at Westminster.
“Scotland have made great strides towards achieving a society with better living standards and equal opportunities, but every day that we remain attached to Westminster, our societal progress remains under threat.
“We need to solidify and build upon the work being done in the Scottish Parliament to make child poverty a thing of the past, and that can only be done with the full powers of independence.”
However, Moray MP and Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross MP accused Ms Adam of "nationalist rhetoric" and urged the SNP Scottish Government to focus on what he believes should be its "true priorities".
He said: "This is typical nationalist rhetoric from Karen Adam.
"If all else fails, then they always pivot back to their number one obsession of independence.
"Like her colleagues, Karen Adam believes that independence will solve all our issues, rather than accepting it is not what people in Moray and Banffshire want to talk about right now. It's also incredible that despite the SNP being in government since 2007 with control over many of the levers of powers, according to the SNP it's all the fault of the UK government and nothing to do with the Scottish government. That just simply isn't credible.
"I'm sure people across Moray and Banffshire would prefer their representatives to be fully focused on their true priorities such as rising bills, the crisis in our NHS, restoring maternity services to Moray and dualling the A96."
