by Niall Christie

Scotland editor

FIRST Minister Nicola Sturgeon was told that her government must do more to alleviate child poverty yesterday, amid calls to increase the Scottish Child Payment later this year. 

The SNP leader faced questions about her party’s plans beyond May’s elections in the Scottish Parliament, with opposition MSPs questioning whether the government’s actions were “enough” to tackle the financial pressures on Scotland’s most vulnerable. 

Parliamentary co-leader of the Scottish Greens Alison Johnstone said that child poverty targets need action, with the pandemic hitting poorest families the hardest, before describing the Tory government’s decision at Westminster to scrap the £20 uplift in universal credit as “callous.”