Revision History

Scottish First Minister John Swinney has unveiled an ambitious child poverty eradication plan just weeks before the 7 May 2026 Holyrood election, centred on expanding the Scottish Child Payment and mitigating the UK's two-child benefit cap. With Scotland's child poverty rate at 22% — well above the legally binding 2030 target of 10% — independent analysis suggests meeting the goal could cost up to £920 million annually, exposing deep political fault lines over whether benefits, economic growth, or both hold the key to lifting 240,000 children out of poverty.