Ian Blackford has accused Boris Johnson of being prepared to see unemployment at levels last seen under Margaret Thatcher by withdrawing the furlough scheme in October.
Scots can see a "tale of two governments" in response to the economic fall-out from the coronavirus crisis, the SNP Westminster leader claimed.
At Prime Minister's Questions, Blackford urged the PM to think again on the wage protection scheme which has supported over 900,000 Scots workers and the self-employed on 80 per cent pay since April.
Blackford said: "People in Scotland are seeing a tale of two governments. While the Tories are cutting furlough scheme support, yesterday Nicola Sturgeon was announcing new investment to protect jobs including a youth guarantee."
He added: "France, Germany and Ireland have extended their furlough scheme into 2021. They have made a moral choice, they are not prepared to punish their people with record levels of unemployment.
"We all know that jobs are under threat if the furlough scheme ends in October. The power to end this threat lies with the Prime Minister."
Johnson said the furlough scheme has already cost the country £40 billion and was keeping people in "suspended animation".
Instead, the PM said he wants people to go back to work and said the Kick Start scheme for young people and other support measures would help with that.
Johnson responded: "What we are doing is not only continuing with the furlough scheme, as he knows, until the end of this month which is far more generous by the way than anything provided in France or Germany or Ireland.
"We're continuing with it but we will also, after that scheme elapses, we will get on with other measures to support people in work."
Labour's Kate Osborne was among the MPs pressing for an extension and accused Johnson of talking "waffle" in response to appeals.
Johnson said: "There will always be those who argue for an infinite extension of the furlough scheme and who want to keep people off work, unemployed, being paid very substantial sums for a very long time. I don't think that's the right thing.
"I think the best way forward for our country is to get people as far as we possibly can back into work."
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