Boris Johnson is under pressure to undo the damage of Tory austerity after a record number of food parcels were handed out in Scotland this year.
The SNP called on the Prime Minister to listen to the warnings of charities and families at the sharp end after figures showed 210,605 food parcels were given to hungry Scots by the Trussell Trust – up from 170,625 last year and nearly double the number in 2014.
The organisation accounts for 57 per cent of food banks, meaning the real total will be far higher.
The Department for Work and Pensions , which oversees the bulk of the UK’s welfare system, insisted financial help is being made available.
But SNP MSP Shona Robison said: “Under the Tories, poverty has risen dramatically, yet day after day, Tory Government representatives obstinately refuse to acknowledge the turmoil their policies are causing and plough on with brutal cuts regardless.
“This new Tory Government must heed the warnings of front-line organisations all over the country and act before more families and children are pushed into poverty on their watch.”
A DWP spokeswoman said: “The reasons for people using food banks are complex.
“We spend over £95billion a year on working age benefits and Universal Credit supports more than 2.7million people across the UK. It gives people financial help if they’re unemployed, low-paid or unable to work.
“People can get paid urgently if they need it and 95 per cent of payments are made in full and on time.”
