Swinney promises not to take away ‘vital’ benefits amid calls for cuts

John Swinney has promised not to take away “vital” cost-of-living support for disabled people amid calls for the welfare budget to be slashed.

The First Minister’s pledge comes a week after the Scottish Tories pledged to save more than £1 billion on the country’s welfare budget by toughening assessments for disability benefits and introducing a two-child cap on the Scottish child payment.

The SNP leader said it also came in response to previous attempts by the UK Government to try and make significant cuts to disability benefits which was ultimately unsuccessful after a revolt from Labour MPs.

Mr Swinney – whose Government spends significantly more on welfare than the cash it receives from Westminster – said he would continue to invest in social security.

Speaking ahead of hosting the first annual joint meeting between the cabinet and disabled people, Mr Swinney said: “Any of us could need help from social security at some point in our lives – and providing support for people who need help is the hallmark of a decent society.

“And at a time when people are really struggling through a cost-of-living crisis, the idea that any party would want to make this worse by taking vital support away from people is beyond me.

“Just last week, the Tories launched a despicable attack against adult disability payments and we all know that Keir Starmer and the Labour Government were desperate to cut disability support at Westminster last year until they were shamed out of it.

“I want to be absolutely clear that that is not an approach my SNP Government will take.

“We will protect this support because it is the right thing to do – and we will never give in to those who would see support ripped away from disabled people.

“We will keep doing everything in our power to support people with the cost of living and to support disabled people – that is the trusted leadership people in Scotland get with the SNP Government.”

Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay said: “The Scottish Conservatives will always protect the safety net of social security for those in genuine need, but we’re the only party being honest about the SNP’s bloated benefits bill.

“Instead of indulging in pious grandstanding, John Swinney must explain why he thinks it’s OK to force hard-working Scots to keep paying more through sky-high taxes to fund his out of-control state benefits.

“He can wring his hands all he likes, but he should also explain how he intends to plug the SNP’s £1 billion, and growing, benefits black hole.

“He, like Labour and Reform, wants to pretend that this is OK while my party will tell it straight and focus on cutting bills for workers and businesses.”

A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said: “We will always provide support to those that need it the most.

“We’re putting cash back into people’s pockets by boosting the standard rate of universal credit, and by changing the amount of debt that can be taken from customers, allowing 1.2 million households to keep more of their money.

“This comes alongside £1 billion for tailored employment help, including 1,000 dedicated work coaches offering voluntary support to tens of thousands of sick or disabled people.”