Whiteford: Tories are Destroying Opportunities for Young People

Commenting on the publication of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s “Monitoring Poverty and Social Inclusion 2015” report, SNP spokesperson on Social Justice and Welfare, Dr Eilidh Whiteford said:

“The Joseph Rowntree Foundation report confirms the extent to which the Tories are failing our young people. The Tories claim they want to create a brighter, more secure future for the UK but with 3.7 million children living in poverty and 1.7 million 16-24 year olds unemployed across the UK it is difficult to see how this will be achieved.

“This is in complete contrast to the situation in Scotland where 34,000 more young people have found employment compared to last year and it is encouraging that Scotlandcontinues to perform better than the UK as a whole on this crucial indicator.

“The JRF report also shows that the number of workless households has fallen to its lowest rate since records began which flies in the face of the Tories 'make work pay' mantra as with cuts to tax credits and the work allowance element of Universal Credit it is clear that work does not pay or help low-income families to make ends meet.

“The Tories need to realise how damaging their policies are for the future of young people living in the UK today and they should focus on lifting people out of poverty rather than punishing hard-workers and destroying opportunities.”