The Scottish Conservatives have unveiled a controversial new policy proposal to introduce a two-child limit on a key devolved benefit, aiming to rein in Scotland's spiralling welfare expenditure. Party leader Russell Findlay announced plans to restrict the Scottish Child Payment to families with no more than two children as part of a broader strategy to bring social security costs under control.
Welfare Spending Projected to Soar
A newly published policy document from the Scottish Tories highlights that one individual with three children can currently claim £14,671 annually in devolved Scottish benefits alone. This figure escalates to £41,771 when reserved UK benefits are included, equivalent to a pre-tax salary of approximately £56,000 when accounting for deductions.
The party's analysis forecasts that Scotland's benefit system costs are projected to surge to nearly £10 billion per year by the end of this decade. In response, the Conservatives pledge to reduce annual welfare expenditure by £1 billion, with the savings redirected to fund income tax reductions for Scottish workers.
Targeting the Scottish Child Payment
Introduced by the SNP government in 2021, the Scottish Child Payment provides £27.15 per week per child to parents receiving other benefits like Universal Credit or Jobseeker's Allowance. According to Tory estimates, approximately 50,000 families with more than two children currently receive this support, at an annual cost of around £73 million.
Mr Findlay stated: 'Social security remains a vital safety net that we will always protect. However, the SNP's benefits bill has spiralled out of control – it is unfair, unaffordable, and unsustainable. Scottish Government spending on benefits is soaring at an alarming rate.'
Broader Policy Package
The Conservative policy paper, titled A fairer benefits system for Scotland, reveals that spending on fifteen devolved benefits is expected to rise from £6.76 billion this year to £9.23 billion by 2030-31. The adult disability payment constitutes the largest expense at £3.39 billion currently, projected to reach £5.31 billion early next decade, while the Scottish Child Payment is set to increase from £458 million to £522 million over the same period.
Approximately one in every seven pounds spent by the SNP Government now goes towards benefits, according to the analysis. The proposed two-child limit on the child payment is argued to 'improve incentives to work' and generate taxpayer savings.
Consultation on Sensitive Exemptions
The party confirms that the policy will undergo consultation, including addressing 'sensitive issues' such as whether to implement a rape clause exemption. This provision would allow women who have children as a result of rape to be excluded from the cap, mirroring aspects of the UK Government's previous welfare policies.
Mr Findlay emphasised: 'Securing £1 billion in savings from benefits and using those funds to cut taxes for everyone is the correct approach, and we stand alone in advocating this strategy. The SNP, Labour, and Reform UK have no concrete plans to reduce benefits spending, which renders Reform's recently announced tax cuts entirely unrealistic.'
Criticism from Opponents and Think Tanks
The proposal has faced immediate criticism from opposition parties and poverty campaigners. Stephen Boyd, director of the IPPR think tank, countered: 'The Scottish Child Payment is demonstrably reducing child poverty; it is the primary reason Scotland is resisting the UK-wide trend of increasing child deprivation.'
Chris Birt, associate director for Scotland at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, warned: 'Implementing such a cap for the Scottish Child Payment would inevitably create avoidable hardship for vulnerable families.'
Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville condemned the plan as 'a cruel, arbitrary policy proposal that would pull children into poverty and restrict opportunities for future generations.'
Accusations and Counterclaims
The Scottish Conservatives have also accused SNP ministers of making 'exaggerated' claims regarding the child payment's impact, suggesting some families have refused pay rises to maintain eligibility for the benefit. This assertion forms part of their argument that the current system disincentivises work.
The policy document cites Scottish Fiscal Commission figures indicating that 50,000 individuals were due to receive a two-child limit mitigation payment proposed by the SNP before the UK Government abolished the cap. The Tories estimate that introducing their own cap on the Scottish Child Payment would save approximately £73 million in the 2026-27 financial year.
This announcement follows Reform UK's recent pledge to fund £2 billion of income tax cuts through reductions in environmental protection, economic development, and quango budgets, highlighting differing approaches to fiscal policy among opposition parties.
