Scottish Parliament MSP Offices

Blog: From rhetoric to reality: now is the time for action on poverty

Neil Cowan, Policy and Campaigns Manager at the Poverty Alliance, writes on the need for the new Scottish Government to make solving poverty their priority. Election campaigns are big on commitments, on vision, and on rhetoric. The Scottish Parliament election campaign just passed was no different, with promises of recovery, transformation and renewal. But too often after elections … Read more

Blog: Nicola Sturgeon, Leader of the SNP

Tackling poverty has always been a priority for the SNP, as part of our ambitions to build a fairer, more equal country. In the last Parliament we introduced ambitious statutory targets to reduce child poverty and established the Poverty and Inequality Commission through our Child Poverty Act. Our ‘Every Child, Every Chance’ plan outlined our … Read more

Blog: Douglas Ross, Leader of the Scottish Conservatives

Covid-19 has highlighted and entrenched inequalities within our society, so it is vital that the next Scottish Parliament is completely focused on recovery. Fully reopening our economy and getting people back to work is the first thing we need to do to tackle poverty. Next, we must address all the drivers of poverty and ensure … Read more

Blog: Anas Sarwar, Leader of Scottish Labour

This is not a normal election. This is a pandemic election. Scotland’s deepest inequalities have been laid bare, and lessons of unity and pulling together have rung out. That is why this election I’m offering solutions not only for recovery from Covid-19, but also for the kind of future society I want to build – … Read more

Blog: Lorna Slater, Co-Leader of the Scottish Greens

I could begin by stating that COVID-19 has exposed the deep-rooted flaws in our economic and social security systems, but this would be clichéd and inaccurate. The pandemic only exposed these flaws to those who had previously been able or willing to ignore them. For those with lived experience of poverty, there was no great … Read more

Blog: Willie Rennie, Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats

The pandemic has torn through all our lives. Scottish Liberal Democrats will put recovery first. Our offer is a liberal one. We want every individual to achieve their potential. Poor mental health prevents people from getting on in life. I’ve talked about the links between mental health and poverty since I was first elected. There … Read more

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