Dundee and Perth SNP MPs are demanding Labour abolish the Tory two-child benefit cap when Sir Keir Starmer sets out his government’s agenda on Wednesday.
The new prime minister came under repeated pressure before the election over his refusal to reverse the policy introduced when the Conservatives held power.
The controversial cap limits how much families with more than two children born after 2017 can claim in welfare support taxes such as universal credit.
Sir Keir sparked a backlash within his own party’s ranks – including from Dundee Labour MSP Mercedes Villalba – when he would not commit to scrapping the law.
Now the SNP is hoping to capitalise on any anger on the prime minister’s backbenches as he makes his first King’s Speech on Wednesday.
‘Early test for Labour’
Dundee Central SNP MP Chris Law said: “The most abhorrent of Tory policies must be resigned to the history books as one of the cruellest policies of this century.
“Why Labour did not pledge to end it through the general election is telling of its lack of red lines and commitment to ending poverty.”
Perthshire SNP MP Pete Wishart said: “This is an early test for Labour. Everybody knows the two-child cap is a driver of child poverty.”
Dundee-born SNP Westminster chief Stephen Flynn will seek to bring a vote to parliament if Sir Keir does not abolish the cap, forcing Labour MPs to take a visible stance.
He said: “If Labour fail to act on abolishing the poverty inducing child benefit cap this week then the SNP will seek to force a vote in the Commons.
“It’s the bare minimum we should expect from a Labour Government, and we’ll hold them to account until they act.”
Detractors of the two-child cap regularly say the policy hurts the poorest.
According to SNP analysis last year, families in Dundee and Fife are some of the hardest hit by child poverty.
Research by the party showed 55% of households in Dundee claiming either universal credit or child tax credit were not receiving support for at least one child.
In Fife, 54% of families were impacted by the limit.
‘SNP haven’t done enough’
The prime minister has said scrapping the benefit cap would be unaffordable in a bid to appear fiscally responsible.
It’s been estimated abolishing the law would cost the UK Government at least £2.5 million.
Before the election, former Prime Minister Gordon Brown rubbished SNP attacks on Labour’s refusal to get rid of the cap by arguing they had overseen a rise in poverty at Holyrood.
He said: “Child poverty is still rising in Scotland. Whatever the SNP has done is clearly not enough.”
Scottish Labour MSP Paul O’Kane said: “Labour will work to give every child the best start in life by delivering our manifesto commitment to implement an ambitious strategy across government to reduce child poverty.
“Labour opposed the two-child cap when the Tories introduced it and we are committed to reviewing universal credit.
“This Labour Government will tackle poverty at its root, just as the last Labour Government did lifting a million children out of poverty.
“We have a plan to make work pay and deliver jobs and growth, as well as developing a strategy to tackle the scourge of child poverty.”
Conversation