THE SNP accused the Tories today of letting down working families after it was estimated that nearly 40 per cent of people in Scotland claiming universal credit are in work.

Research from the TUC found that 176,000 people in Scotland who are claiming universal credit also have a job.

The union body warned that cruel Tory plans will force hard-working families to get by on much less, and the government is “levelling down, not levelling up.”

The accusations came as the Tories prepare to cut universal credit by scrapping the £20 uplift brought in last year, potentially plunging thousands of families in Scotland into poverty.

Rather than being cut, universal credit should be increased to at least 80 per cent of the level of the living wage, about £260, the TUC said, and the temporary £20 top-up should be extended to those on legacy benefits too. 

The Westminster government said it is now focused on its “plan for jobs,” and the temporary uplift in universal credit had provided a vital safety net.

SNP MSP Neil Gray said the government must step up and raise the national minimum wage to a real living wage. 

He said: “This is another demonstration of how the cut to universal credit will impact thousands of hard-working families across Scotland, as they will have less to get by on — despite being in work.

“It is a damning indictment of the Tory government’s attitude to paid work that many families still cannot make ends meet, even when they have a job, and have to turn to social security. Work should pay, it is very simple.”