Brown urges boost in tax credits amid child poverty ‘disgrace’

SOCIETY: Former prime minister urges action on deprivation

Gordon Brown will accuse political leaders in Scotland of creating a “generation of invisibles” by failing to tackle soaring child poverty.

The former prime minister is to highlight shocking levels of deprivation in his former Kirkcaldy constituency during a speech to the Edinburgh Book Festival today.

He will demand governments in London and Edinburgh, who he accused of ignoring the “national disgrace” of rising child poverty, increase tax credits for families as a way to resolve the crisis.

“In East Kirkcaldy, 40% of children are in poverty. GORDON BROWN

Mr Brown referred to a Scottish Government-commissioned report this year, which revealed that poverty among Scottish children is projected to nearly double from 210,000 in 2010 to more than 400,000 during the 2020s.

“In East Kirkcaldy, 40% of children are in poverty but soon, on current projections, every second child – more than 50% – will be in poverty,” he is expected to say.

He blamed the Tories for “severe and inhumane cuts” and the SNP for failing to address the poverty scourge.

Child tax credit increases should be brought in by the Conservative Government and through top-up payments by the SNP administration, the ex-mp said.

An SNP spokesman said: “This is staggering hypocrisy from Gordon Brown, who lost the 2010 general election after Labour promised voters ‘deeper and tougher’ austerity than anything Margaret Thatcher imposed.”

Picture: PA. Hitting out: Gordon Brown wants governments to do more to tackle child poverty.