Budget was 'missed opportunity to reverse welfare cuts'

The Scottish Government says it called for the cuts to be halted and asked for them to be reversed but Chancellor Philip Hammond chose to press ahead with them in his budget.

Ms Constance warned the changes will reduce spending by an estimated £200 million in Scotland by 2021/22.

She added that it was part of an overall cut of more than £1 billion worth of Scotland's welfare spend which the Institute for Fiscal Studies estimate will result in an increase in child poverty levels.

She said: ''This week's budget was an eleventh-hour chance for the Chancellor to chart a different course from his predecessor, and his refusal to do so is a monumental missed opportunity.

The Tories announced some incredibly vindictive welfare cuts two years ago and clearly they were quietly hoping that we would all have forgotten about them - but within a matter of weeks, tens of thousands of families across Scotland will see their incomes cut even further.

I fear for the future of children in low-income homes whilst the Tories continue their ideologically-driven onslaught on them.''

Ms Constance said it was ''incredible'' Mr Hammond continued to find the money to cut taxes for higher earners while hammering low-income parents and people looking to get into work.

She said ''Philip Hammond has rightly been criticised for his national insurance hikes this week - but his failure to reverse the vindictive welfare cuts which will impact on our children will be every bit as damaging and will come back to haunt him.''

The UK Government said the Scottish Government now has the power to introduce new benefits and top up UK benefits if it wishes.

It also said that it continues to help working families in Scotland, allowing them to keep more of what they earn and ensuring it will always pay more to be in work than not.

A spokeswoman for the UK Government said: ''Tackling poverty and disadvantage is a government priority and thanks to our reforms, we have record employment and the number of children living in workless households is at a record low.

Our welfare reforms are incentivising work while ensuring support is in place for those that need it and we continue to spend #90bn a year on working-age benefits.''