THE UK Government must “follow Scotland’s lead” and ditch the two-child benefit cap, a major charity has said, after finding more than 14 million people across the UK are facing hunger.
Fresh research from The Trussell Trust has found that within that figure, one million people – including 210,000 children – in Scotland (15% of households) faced hunger in 2024 due to a lack of money.
Nearly a quarter (24%) of people referred to food banks in the Trussell community in Scotland are in working households – an increase of 7% on 2022.
The charity has subsequently warned that paid employment no longer protects people from hardship and people struggling to get by is being “normalised”.
There have been some “emerging signs of progress north of the border”, Trussell has said, with fewer children in families who need to use a food bank in Scotland than the rest of the UK.
Cara Hilton (below), senior policy and public affairs manager for Scotland, said the UK Government could learn lessons from how the Scottish Government has approached dealing with poverty with policies like the introduction of a Scottish Child Payment.
The Scottish Government has also pledged to effectively eliminate the two-child benefit cap next year and Hilton has urged the UK Government to cut this damaging policy at the source.
“It’s still the case that families with children in Scotland are twice as likely to need a food bank as families that don’t have children under the age of 16. One in four children live in food insecure households in Scotland, and that’s just not good enough.
“But we do know that policies like the Scottish Child Payment that gets money directly into the pockets of mums and dads on the lowest incomes, that works.
“When you provide that targeted support to families it does make a huge difference, and there can be lessons for the UK Government to learn from the approach the Scottish Government has taken, that cash-first approach.”
She added: “We are doing a huge amount of lobbying of the UK Government, and the top thing we’re asking the UK Government to do is to ditch the two-child cap.
“We’re asking the UK Government to follow Scotland’s lead and ditch that cap as soon as possible.”
The two-child cap limits Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit payments to a maximum of two children in a family.
The Trussell Trust research – which was conducted through a survey carried out in the summer of last year and released on Wednesday – also found 5% of all households sought charitable help for food insecurity.
Trussell defines food insecurity as those who are cutting back on the quantity or quality of food due to a lack of money.
As well as delivering on mitigating the two-child benefit cap, the Trussell Trust is calling for the Scottish Government to increase the Scottish Child Payment to £40 a week and introduce a grant to mitigate against a five-week delay people experience when getting their first Universal Credit payment.
Asked whether the Scottish Government faces an “almost impossible task” in fighting poverty due to UK Government policies, Hilton said while the UK Government has a “big role to play”, the Scottish Government should use the powers to has to ensure people don’t go hungry.
“I don’t think [it’s an impossible task],” said Hilton.
“There’s no doubt the social security system is broken and it needs to be fixed, and the design and delivery at a UK level plays a big role in that, but I do feel the Scottish Government has significant power to act.
“We can see the difference it makes when they do use those powers, for example, mitigating the benefit cap.
“That isn’t necessarily letting Westminster off the hook, it’s about using the powers we have to deliver on the priorities we have in Scotland.
“The Scottish Government has made some progress, but it’s time to build on that. If they want to turn the tide of poverty in Scotland, let’s use the powers we have in Scotland to do things differently and to lead the way.”
Scotland's Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Too many families are struggling to make ends meet as a result of Brexit and the UK cost-of-living crisis – that is why we are taking action on child poverty, which has fallen in Scotland in contrast to the rest of the UK.
“A report published last week showed that our policies are helping more families avoid the use of food banks and to have healthy meals, while reducing food insecurity.
“But I remain focused on doing everything we can to support those who need help, including by effectively scrapping the two-child limit at the start of 2026, which is set to benefit 43,000 children next year, with our modelling estimating that 20,000 fewer children will live in relative poverty.
“However, our efforts are continuing to be held back by the actions of a UK Government. I have been clear that we reject the UK Government’s proposed welfare reforms and will continue to protect those on disability benefits in Scotland.
“And Universal Credit has been too low for too long, so I repeat the call on the UK Government to introduce an essentials guarantee, ensuring that social security benefits adequately cover the cost of food and other essentials and better protect people from the impacts of poverty.”
