SCOTTISH Conservative leader Douglas Ross has split ranks with Boris Johnson and backed calls for the UK Government to extend a £20 weekly uplift of Universal Credit.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced that those receiving Universal Credit will get an additional £20 a week to help deal with financial pressures brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. But the Treasury has not committed to whether the uplift will continue past April.

The SNP has repeatedly called for the uplift to be made permanent with one of the party’s MSPs, Shona Robison this week warning that “if the Tories fail to act, we could see long-lasting damage for generations to come”.

Mr Ross has now backed the £20 uplift being extended - but the SNP have accused him of "glory-hunting" and called on the UK Government to make the uplift permanent and be extended to other benefits. 

He said: “Throughout this pandemic, Universal Credit has been a vital safety net for nearly half a million people across Scotland and many more across the UK.

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“I don’t think it would be fair to pull support away from people while this pandemic continues to damage our way of life so deeply.”

Mr Ross added: “The Universal Credit uplift should continue for the foreseeable future. I would encourage the UK Government to make that commitment now and provide the reassurance many people are looking for.

“It might not seem like a vast sum of money but to the families receiving this support, it makes a huge difference.”

SNP MP Mhairi Black said: "It's no surprise Douglas Ross is now on board after the UK Government hinted it would extend the Universal Credit uplift. Instead of joining with the SNP and calling for this months ago, he has waited to see which way the wind will blow before taking a stance. This is pure glory-hunting - a phrase he will no doubt be familiar with.

"People will not be fooled by the Scottish Tory leader's hollow rhetoric - especially after the way he flip-flopped over free school meals, eventually abstaining on a vote to feed hungry children. 

"It is time Douglas Ross and the rest of the Scottish Tories at Westminster grew a spine and called on the Chancellor to not just extend the Universal Credit uplift, but make it permanent and extend it to legacy benefits, as well as extend the furlough scheme to prevent millions being plunged further into hardship."

The Chancellor is facing further pressure as Scotland’s Economy Secretary, Fiona Hyslop, has demanded that the lowest paid furloughed workers are given enough support.

From Sunday, the furlough scheme will be replaced with the job support scheme (JSS) - but Ms Hyslop has warned that many could see their incomes cut to below the living wage.

The latest HMRC figures show 242,600 jobs were fully or partially furloughed in Scotland at the end of August.

Ms Hyslop said: “From the earliest days of this pandemic we have urged the UK Government to do everything possible to protect workers and jobs as we are forced to make impossible choices to keep people safe.

“While the introduction of the Job Support Scheme is better than furlough ending entirely, it does not go far enough in its new form. Indeed, it may only offer limited protection against redundancies to workers in sectors like tourism, hospitality, arts and recreation which continue to be badly affected, but that we know will have a post-Covid future.

“Our counterparts at Westminster must do more to protect low earning workers. If they look across the Channel to our nearest neighbours in France, they’ll see that individuals on the minimum wage already receive 100% salary protection.”

She added: “Unlike the Scottish Government, the UK Government has the borrowing powers necessary to provide appropriate funding to keep people in work and reduce the risk of mass redundancies and unemployment.

“The reality this winter is that many furloughed workers will fall below the real living wage – money they simply cannot afford to lose. While top ups may be available through Universal Credit, the five-week waiting period for new claimants often leads to financial and psychological distress. The temporary £20 uplift of Universal Credit should also be made permanent and extended to legacy benefits. People urgently need confirmation that it will continue beyond April.

“The UK Government must ensure that the lowest-paid workers are properly supported – including looking again at the rate of furlough pay for these workers.”