The SNP’s 2026 Holyrood manifesto set out a clear direction on welfare: expand Scotland’s devolved benefits and use them to tackle poverty, particularly child poverty, rather than cut support.
The headline pledge was to increase the Scottish Child Payment to £40 per week, reinforcing its central role in anti‑poverty policy. This sits alongside a broader commitment to protect and grow Scotland’s social security system, using devolved powers to help ensure people can meet basic living costs.
More generally, the SNP emphasised targeted cost‑of‑living support through benefits and public spending, rather than tax cuts, with a focus on supporting low‑income households. The party also signalled continued support for payments such as Carer Support Payment and a wider financial inclusion strategy to improve household resilience.
Looking longer term, the manifesto backed progressing a Minimum Income Guarantee, indicating a shift towards an “income adequacy” model of social security. Alongside this, the SNP reiterated its commitment to a human rights‑based approach, framing social security as a means of securing an adequate standard of living for all.
It is important to note that most of these pledges relate to devolved benefits and top‑ups. The core structure of Universal Credit, including conditionality and sanctions, remains reserved to the UK Government and was not fundamentally changed in the manifesto.
Overall, the SNP’s welfare platform focused on gradual expansion, poverty reduction, and a more rights‑based system, rather than major structural reform of the wider UK benefits framework.