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It is time to axe the national roll-out of the disastrous Universal Credit.

Child poverty in Scotland is climbing rapidly by 130,000 over the next decade. The rise of more than 55 per cent will put four out of 10 children in poverty.

The numbers are set to rise even beyond the levels we saw under Margaret Thatcher in the 80s and 90s.

From next summer, 300,000 more Scots families will be herded on to Universal Credit – with the delays, cuts and benefit gaps that entails.

The chaos will almost certainly rival the last punitive Tory experiment in social engineering – the poll tax.

This week, I am calling for UK Chancellor Philip Hammond to bring in a budget for children on October 29.

As a former chancellor myself, I know the Treasury can put up the cash to end the suffering of poor children.

I am calling for a rise in child benefit and child tax credits as a replacement for the near £3billion of cuts ushered in by the introduction of Universal Credit.

(Image: Getty Images)

We must address the two burning injustices of the Universal Credit system - that work is still leading to poverty and that families where there is disability are hit hardest of all.

We used to be told that the work-shy were the main cause of poverty. In fact, those who have a working parent and those where there is a disability in the family now make up 80 per cent of Scotland’s child poor.

People made poor by disability or low pay need our support.

We can make work pay with a better living wage and tax credits to top it up.

Having served 50 years in public life, I am seeing around me things that I thought I’d never see again.

In my home area of Kirkcaldy, food banks are running out of supplies. Requests for help have doubled as a result of the harshness of Universal Credit.

Charities struggle to cope when Giros that used to run out a few days before the next one now run out after a few days of receiving them.

I’ve visited families who don’t even have a cooker.

During the school summer holidays, I’ve seen children going for a whole day without a square meal.

Tonight, in Edinburgh, I deliver the Gordon Aikman memorial lecture – a tribute to a campaigner for the disabled who achieved more in a few months than many governments have achieved after long years in power.

Some disabled people – the very men women and children that he campaigned for – who have been thrust to the sharp ends of the cuts will see some of their benefits cut in half.

(Image: PA)

It is time for all of us to speak up for those least able to speak up for themselves.

We cannot let children suffer when we have the powers to do something about it.

The Scottish Government should say that if London won’t act, they will introduce an emergency budget of their own.

If the UK Government won’t abandon the national roll-out, the Scottish Parliament have to find their own way out.

In the 80s, Scotland led the way to poll tax abolition. Now if the Tories won’t act, the Scottish Parliament must curb Universal Credit’s excesses.

The Scottish Government say £3.5billion has been cut from welfare budgets by the UK Government, but so far, they’ve only replaced three per cent of that – £125million – and left 97 per cent of the cuts in place.

They can top up child benefit and child tax credits with their own money.

The Scottish Parliament have powers to give help to families where there is a disability.

We have to act – and act soon.