Natalie Don MSP has condemned the UK Tory Government for launching a legal challenge which has resulted in an UK Supreme Court ruling today (Wednesday 6 October 2021) that the Scottish Parliament cannot enshrine the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) into Scots law, thereby threatening the rights of children in Renfrewshire and across Scotland.
The MSP for Renfrewshire North and West says the judgment highlights the extreme limitations of the devolution settlement in Scotland, as the intervention by the Westminster government flies in the face of the UNCRC Bill being passed unanimously by democratically elected representatives in the Scottish Parliament.
The judgement comes on the same day that the Westminster Tories cut Universal Credit by £20 a week, taking away from the most vulnerable at a time when they need it most.
Natalie Don MSP is concerned about the extreme limitations of the devolution settlement in Scotland. Photo credit: Ricky Kelly
Natalie Don MSP said: “The SNP Scottish Government introduced the UNCRC Bill to put the needs of children in Renfrewshire and across Scotland at the very heart of every decision made by government and local authorities.
“The legal challenge by the control freaks in this callous Tory UK Tory Government means that the Scottish Government cannot now introduce vital protections for our young people and leaves them at the mercy of out-of-touch Westminster politicians who simply cannot be trusted to protect our future generations in Scotland, as they cut Universal Credit to plunge 20,000 children into poverty.
“Families in Renfrewshire who face a decision of whether to heat their homes or feed their children as the cost of energy and food bills go up should be protected from this hardship and it’s becoming increasing clear that the Scottish Parliament needs the full social security powers that can only be delivered by Scotland becoming an independent country.”