SOCIAL Justice Secretary Shona Robison has expressed dismay at the withdrawal of the £20-a-week Universal Credit uplift today (Wednesday, 6 October).
Ms. Robison said: “This is a sad and disappointing day. It is a cruel irony the £20-a-week uplift to Universal Credit is being withdrawn in a week in which we are being asked to Challenge Poverty.
“The move has already been condemned by the First Ministers and Children’s Commissioners of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, countless charities and campaigners, the United Nations’ poverty envoy and even former Secretaries of State for Work and Pensions.
“People are bracing themselves against soaring food and fuel costs, the end of the furlough scheme, and imminent increases in National Insurance contributions. “Millions of people, and their communities, will be negatively impacted by the withdrawal of these lifeline payments. The Scottish Government have set out a range of ambitious actions to tackle child poverty, but this undermines so much of what we want to achieve.”
