Tory Minister accuses SNP of squandering ‘union dividend’

A senior UK Government Minister has accused the Scottish Government under the SNP of squandering a so-called ‘union dividend’ in their approach to taxation.

David Lidington. . Pic - Andrew Cowan/Scottish Parliament

David Lidington, who is the de facto deputy of Prime Minister Theresa May, was responding to the SNP’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford during a heated exchange in the House of Commons over pensions.

Mr Blackford accused the Government of ‘sneaking through a cut in pensions credit which will see some couples as much as £7,000 a year worse off. He added: “An estimated 300,000 more pensioners are now living in poverty than in 2012. Does the minister agree that his Government needs to change course and instead of robbing pensioners start supporting them?”

David Lidington. . Pic - Andrew Cowan/Scottish Parliament

Mr Lidington, who was standing in at Prime Minister’s Questions while Theresa May was in Brussels, said that the changes to the benefits and pensions systems were ‘perfectly logical’.

After Mr Blackford said an independent Scotland would pursue pension reform, the Cabinet Office Minister hit back: “He knows that it is in the power of the Scottish Government under devolution legislation to top up social security benefit if they choose to do so.”

Mr Lidington also said that the recent SNP Budget “led to Scots being more highly-taxed than people in any other part of the UK”.

He added: “The SNP has squandered that union dividend, the message that we get from them is that if you have an SNP government, Scottish people pay more and get less.”