The financial pressures facing many have been made significantly worse by the Covid-19 pandemic. Lots of families are having to rely on the furlough scheme or Statutory Sick Pay and the wider benefits system.

This, and the way the Tories have handled their consideration of whether the £20 per week uplift to Universal Credit should continue, has put the inadequacy of the UK benefits system in the spotlight.

For years successive UK governments have viewed the benefits system as an easy hit. A way to be seen to be tough and an easy budget to repeatedly cut.

The hardship caused by the pandemic shows us the reason why we should have a social security system that truly is a safety net that treats people with compassion and understanding.

There are now many who have never had to rely on the welfare state, because they had decent well-paid jobs, and never had to claim Statutory Sick Pay and Universal Credit.

This has greater highlighted that Statutory Sick Pay in the UK is paid at one of the lowest levels in Europe and that Universal Credit does not cover the basics for meeting the needs of families.

It is families with children that are suffering the most and the think tank the Resolution Foundation has estimated that by 2024/25 a further 730,000 children will fall into poverty if the removal of the £20 a week Universal Credit uplift goes ahead.

Some politicians want to skirt over the fact that these are decisions made in Westminster because it suits their political narrative – that it is all the Scottish Government’s fault. They don’t mention cuts like not uprating child benefit for years, the two-child policy and the rape clause, the benefit cap, the bedroom tax and many others. In fact, they don’t know what it is like ever in their life to be worried about making money last or having to go to the food bank. But they are happy to try and conveniently forget the impact of these cuts.

I will call these cuts out for what they are, because I often speak to my constituents who are struggling to make ends meet because of these Westminster made decisions.

The SNP are working hard to mitigate these decisions and have invested in new benefits and designing a more compassionate social security system. The new Scottish Child Payment has been described as a “game changer” and the Child Poverty Action Group has called for this £10 increase in the rest of the UK.

However, these mitigations would not be needed if we cut out the root cause – a Westminster government that ignores our wishes and is a barrier to a decent and fairer Scotland.