MP calls out Chancellor's 'smoke and mirrors' over funds to help low-income families

She slammed the Chancellor’s ‘smoke and mirrors’ claim that Scotland would receive an additional £290m to help with the cost-of-living crisis.

This comes as Scotland’s Finance Secretary, Kate Forbes, revealed that there is no additional money for Scotland to help low-income families.

In a letter to Holyrood’s Finance committee, Ms Forbes revealed that the Scottish Government will receive £814m from the Treasury, rather than the expected £852m promised by the Chancellor.

Ms Forbes stated the Scottish Government is now forced to find funds from elsewhere in its budget to support people with costs such as council tax bills.

Ms Callaghan said: “It is scandalous that the Chancellor is trying to pull the wool over the eyes of people in East Dunbartonshire.

"The claim that there will be additional cash for people to cope with the cost-of-living crisis simply does not stand up.

"Instead, people in East Dunbartonshire are being short-changed by almost £5.8m.

“That is the equivalen t of £123.91 of missing support for every household in East Dunbartonshire.

"Rishi Sunak made a huge fanfare about how Westminster was being generous to Scotland, when the truth is that they have provided no extra funding.

"And once again, the Scottish Government has to make good on another broken Tory promise by finding funds from its limited budget to support hard-pressed families by cutting £150 off their council tax bills.

“This is real cash to deal with the cost-of-living crisis, not the UK Government’s empty promises that are simply smoke and mirrors.

“Just the other week it was revealed that the Scottish Government has to spend £11.8m each year in East Dunbartonshire to mitigate UK government austerity policies like the bedroom tax.

"Now we have more money coming out of Scotland’s budgets in order to deliver on the empty promises of Westminster.”