Since 2007/08, poverty rates among children in England, Scotland and Wales have been consistently lowest in Scotland and often highest in Labour-run Wales according to the Social Metrics Commission.
By stewartb
This blog post is a follow on from the recent TuS blog post – ‘Eradicating child poverty costs nothing in the long term because everything depends on it’ – prompted by the Guardian’s coverage of the Social Metrics Commission’s latest report.
Source: Social Metrics Commission (2024) Measuring Poverty 2024
( https://socialmetricscommission.org.uk/ )
Comparing rates of poverty
The table below summarises data on the percentage of the population in England, Scotland and
Wales that are in poverty. It gives percentages for the whole population (i.e. all ages) and for children.
Extracted directly from the Commission’s time series data, the table is populated by data going back to 2007/08. The yellow shaded cells highlight the country in Great Britain with the lowest percentage in poverty each year: the red shaded cells identify the country in GB with the highest percentage in poverty each year. It may surprise those who form their views of Scotland and its SNP government from BBC Scotland or The Herald or the Daily Record, but on each and every year the percentage is lowest in Scotland.
(Candidly, as the Commission’s work reveals, the causes of poverty at the population level are multiple and complex – and yes, the rates in Scotland are far too high – but as with the performance of the NHS in Scotland, the British Labour Party and other Unionist politicians in Scotland push on voters a uniquely simple diagnosis – all blame for all shortcomings lies with the Scottish Government. The evidence on issue after issue shows otherwise!)
When reviewing the table recall that the SNP has been governing with devolved powers in Edinburgh since 2007. Throughout the period covered in the table, the British Labour Party has been governing with devolved powers in Cardiff.
Note the uptick in child poverty in Scotland in 2022/23, one percentage point higher than the previous year. A similar increase is seen in the figures for England and Wales: the figures for Wales show a two percentage point increase in 2022/23 over the previous year.
The Commission draws the following conclusions for the whole of the UK:
‘Poverty rates have increased since the pandemic. The rate of poverty in 2022/23 was 24%, a one percentage-point increase on the previous year and two percentage-point increase since 2019/20’
Note: in Scotland the overall rate in 2022/23 was 21%, with NO increase on the previous year
‘At 24%, the poverty rate is now the highest it has been in the 21st Century’
Note: in Scotland the rate is now 21%
‘More than a third of all children (36%) were in poverty in 2022/23, an almost five percentage-point increase since 2019/20’
Note: in Scotland the rate for children was 30% inn 2022/23, a three percentage point increase since 2019/20.
The Commission has further information on geographic variations in overall rates of poverty:
‘Poverty rates vary significantly between English regions. Poverty rates are highest in the West Midlands and in London (both 27%), and in the North West (26%). Regions with the lowest rates are the East of England (17%), the South West (18%) and the South East (19%)’
‘Poverty rates vary less across the UK’s four nations. The highest rates are in Wales
(24%) and the lowest in Northern Ireland and Scotland (21%)’.
From page 36 of the Commission’s report:
The Commission reports that the current poverty rate in Scotland for children is (- a far too high) 30%. In Wales it is presently 36% and for England 35%. Among the English regions, two have rates (South East and South West) of 29%, close to that of Scotland, one is substantially lower (East of England) at 26%. All the others have higher rates than Scotland’s: the regions bordering Scotland (North East and North West) have rates of 40% and 42% respectively! Recall that unlike Scotland and Wales, the government of England has ALL the powers – financial and others – necessary to solve the scourge of poverty!
How can this be?
As we in Scotland look ahead to the crucial Holyrood election in 2026, when considering our options it makes sense to examine the track record of the British Labour Party governing with devolved powers. The question Mr Sarwar and colleagues in Scotland will hope voters here never ask is ‘how has Wales under a British Labour Party government in Cardiff fared over the period when the SNP has been in government
in Edinburgh?’
On so many public services – and here with poverty rates – the evidence is clear: Scotland under the SNP has fared better than Wales under Labour. Could the Scottish Government done more, better – no doubt. Could it have done substantially better – not within the constraints of this Union! Why hasn’t the British Labour Party in government with devolved powers in Cardiff not substantially done better?
As I make clear every time I write something like this, the purpose is NOT to talk down Wales. It is only to expose the hypocrisy of British Labour Party politicians – and other Unionists – who are only too keen to attribute all blame for any shortcomings in Scotland to the Scottish Government. It is to help counter these claims which are amplified by the BBC and the mainstream media who avoid providing voters with context, perspective and comparative analyses.
The evidence is clear: the devolved settlements can only do so much to counter negative trends in what’s happening in England: they can only do so much to mitigate, to counter the harms of Westminster government.
End note
The Social Metrics Commission describes itself as ‘an independent Commission formed to develop a new approach to poverty measurement that both better reflects the nature and experiences of poverty that different families in the UK have, and can be used to build a consensus around poverty measurement and action in the UK.’
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
Wales like Scotland is underfund. Just like Scotland. Assets and resources taken to fund London S/E. people can live in Wales and work in London. Proximity.
Wales voted for Brexit lost EU support and funds. Lost Billions. The Tories total incompetence. Johnstone ruining the world economy,
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Having 3 opposition parties whose headquarters are in London will always a problem for a SG supporting independence, but even more so now with a minority government. As I’ve said on several occasions, these parties use OUR parliament to broadcast on behalf of the union, under the guise of FMQs. Their long “questions” to the FM always preamble with shocking “stories” about our health, education or police services, designed to show the public just how inept the SG is. They take great pride in offering such clips to their followers on SM, always without showing the FMs withering replies. What other parliament has to deal with this?
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That maybe so but in Wales the reason is 14 years of Tory austerity. In Scotland the SNP are to blame that is the key difference. At least that is how the corrupt media sees it.
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Whether any of the public seek to ask the question or not in respect to how Wales fares in relation to Scotland is , as a question, now somewhat academic, what with Scotland now having people living here who actually voted to elect 37 Labour MP’s in Scotland in the last UK GE.
The opposition parties and their media , like say the BBC in Scotland, can treat us who live in Scotland like Idiots because many of us are making decisions like Idiots when it comes to who some of us have decided to vote for (again) in elections.
One would have thought that after everything Labour said in 2014 in respect to our supposed ‘rosy’ future within their UK , as they Labour took the leading role in Scotland in the NO campaign, that would and should have killed them off as a future option to vote for in any future elections.
As what they foretold us would happen failed to materialise indeed the opposite happened in fact it was even worse that happened in relation to all that they promised would happen with a NO to independence vote winning in 2014.
It seems though that some voters within Scotland found it far far easier to forgive and forget Labour’s significant role in 2014 while they , as voters, seem unable to forgive or understand the SNP’s position in the well publicised and prolonged Police investigation , which as yet is still to be concluded as far as a final outcome is still to be reached.
We on here and others like us can keep on ‘bumping our gums’ until the ‘cows come home’.
However until we see a majority within Scotland reject both the opposition parties and their client media then we all are , in effect , just merely ‘howling at the moon’, as it seems we are not reaching those others (voters) who really really really need to finally ‘see the light’ and also be made to see ‘the errors of their (voting) ways’.
Of course the new Labour government and also those Labour MP’s elected in Scotland in the last GE have been exposed as those who only pledge allegiance to the party , in what they have opted to do as the new UK government , but also what Scottish (INO) elected Labour MP’s have opted to vote for in the HOC.
However I do wonder with so so much being promised by the Labour party prior to the GE and then with so so much failing to be fulfilled after the GE by them, I am still not 100% confident that those same voters in Scotland who voted for a Labour candidate in the last GE , will decide to not “Change” their vote in the Scottish elections and so once more vote Labour in 2026.
In Scotland it seems that some voters are a tad too willing to be fooled again and again by the same political parties and also by the same MSM.
So until some voters in Scotland stop behaving and acting like Idiots in them still supporting and voting for political parties like Labour and also their relying, as voters, on political news from the client media of Labour , then all of us in Scotland will never ever see any fairness, honesty or balance in the ‘news where we are’.
However we will be always treated like idiots in what they, as a media and as political parties, continue to choose to say as the supposed truth and reality for us.
We will also , as part of their UK, never get the government that we truly need for Scotland that currently, as a government , sits in WM as a UK government , whose main focus and attention as a UK government is not in them putting Scotland’s interests first and foremost in all that they do and say as a UK government, but instead we, Scotland, get their platitudes while others get the benefits (as the dominant force within the UK parliament is that of English MP’s representing English constituencies as in English dominant Votes for UK Laws that Scotland must also be subjected to).
Sorry for the pessimism in my comment but until the tide proves that it has finally turned , and so some voters in Scotland stop voting for all of the various pro UK parties in any future elections , then I think my pessimistic attitude is currently justified as is my calling some of our fellow voters in Scotland “Idiots”. (as in if the cap fits etc etc ).
I am at the point of past caring that I may be being too offensive to others , as I and those like me , are all expected to still keep accepting and tolerating the incredulous voting decisions some others make within Scotland , who as voters, seem to have not learnt anything since 2014 in relation to either Labour, the Tories or the Lib Dems. (or indeed the MSM).
So their bad voting decisions as voters negatively impact my family and I am just expected to pander to them as fellow voters in Scotland in not ‘rocking the boat’ in my not expressing anger towards them.
So how long am I supposed to tolerate this as a (bad) behaviour from them as voters, who as voters, keep voting for Pro UK political parties in Scotland?
For a generation or my lifetime ?
Seems to me it is long past the time for hauding yer wheesht and so now it is very much the time to start calling out those who consistently fail to see that which has been staring them in the face as a truth , but somehow they have , as voters, all managed to avoid facing up to.
If they are not convinced by independence now then what the duck will it take to convince them ?????
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