THE Labour Government reshuffle must result in a reset in both policy and relations with Scottish Government ministers, an SNP Cabinet Secretary has said.
Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville also called on Pat McFadden, the UK Government’s new Work and Pensions Secretary, to bin the “cruel policy agenda” he inherited from his predecessor.
Now-Technology Secretary Liz Kendall came under heavy fire after she spearheaded attempts to push through sweeping cuts to disability benefits earlier this year, only for the Labour Government to be forced into a humiliating U-turn just minutes before their proposals went to a vote.
Reports have suggested that Keir Starmer’s decision to move McFadden – one of his closest allies – into her role heralds a return to a cuts agenda at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
Calling instead for a different approach to benefits, Somerville argued that Labour’s “political problems really began when they misjudged the public mood on social security and continued with the same cruel approach as the Tories”.
“If they want to start rebuilding trust, this is where they should begin with a radical rethink,” the SNP Cabinet Secretary went on.
“Keir Starmer has tried to look tough on welfare in an attempt to win back votes from Nigel Farage – but vulnerable children and disabled people should not be paying the price for the political mess the Prime Minister has found himself in.
“Pat McFadden needs to take one look at the cruel policy agenda he has inherited, rip it up and start again.”
Somerville called for Labour ministers to:
- Abandon plans for a “two-tier system for Universal Credit”, saying that it would see around 77,000 families in Scotland lose around £3000 per year by 2029/30.
- Scrap the two-child benefit cap at source, which Somerville said would “allow the funding the Scottish Government has earmarked to mitigate the cruel policy to be used to fund other measures”.
- Commit to a “strong working relationship with Scottish Government ministers, which has not been the case to date”.
Previously, Disabled Rights UK – in a joint statement alongside other charities including National Survivor User Network, Just Treatment, and DPAC – warned that Labour’s “two-tier” cuts would have “potentially lethal effects” despite the climbdown, which will see benefits cut for future claimants but not current ones.
At the same time, the controversial two-child benefit cap affects around 27,000 families in Scotland and 440,000 across the UK, according to the Institute of Fiscal Studies.
Mitigating the cap in Scotland, which is due to begin in 2026, will cost £155 million in the first year and help 43,000 children, according to estimates from the Scottish Fiscal Commission.
However, the commission has also warned that the amount the Scottish Government spends on social security, above what it receives from Westminster towards the cost of benefits, is “expected to increase from £0.9bn in 2023-24 to £2.2bn by 2030-31”.
A DWP spokesperson said: "For too long, too many sick or disabled people – including in Scotland - have been denied the support they need to get back to health and into work.
“We’re changing this by shifting our focus from welfare to work, skills, and opportunities, so more people can move out of poverty and into good, secure jobs.
“We are also investing a record £3.8bn into helping people into work, and our Child Poverty Taskforce will publish an ambitious strategy to tackle the structural and root causes of child poverty.”
