BORIS Johnson has been silenced by the Speaker of the House of Commons for trying to "wind up" the SNP.
The Prime Minister was interrupted by Sir Lindsay Hoyle after calling the SNP the “Scottish nationalist party”.
The Tory leader has been chastised repeatedly in recent weeks by the Speaker and Ian Blackford for refusing to use the correct name.
It came at the conclusion of a clash in which Johnson was condemned for his government’s role in a poverty crisis facing millions of people in the UK.
New research by Citizens Advice Scotland found Universal Credit will be worth less now than in 2013 if the Tory government goes forward with plans to end the £20 uplift. Other studies published today revealed the extent of child poverty in the UK.
Blackford urged the Prime Minister to tackle child poverty by making the uplift permanent.
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He told the Commons: "New research from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the baby bank charity, Little Village, has revealed that 1.3 million children under five are living in poverty in the United Kingdom.
"This is a truly shocking figure that should make this Tory Government utterly ashamed. The SNP has repeatedly called for a financial package to boost household incomes and reverse this Tory child poverty crisis.
"The Prime Minister has the power to tackle child poverty right now by making the £20 uplift to Universal Credit permanent and by extending it to legacy benefits. The Tory Government's been stalling on this for months, will the Prime Minister finally act or will he leave millions of children out in the cold?"
Johnson dismissed the criticism, insisting people in the UK should be “proud” of his government’s response to rising levels of poverty.
He said: "I think that the whole House and this country should be proud of the way we've tried to look after people, the poorest and neediest families, throughout the country, not just with Universal Credit which the party opposite would actually abolish but by helping vulnerable people with their food and their heating bills, the £170m winter grant scheme, looking after people with the free school meal vouchers.
"And as I've said before, we will put our arms around the people of this entire country throughout the pandemic."
Blackford branded the response “pathetic”, before asking the Tory leader whether he would join opposition parties for a summit on tackling child poverty ahead of the Budget.
He told MPs: "Let me quote, 'she cried on her doorstep because I gave her nappies, wipes and winter clothes for her child. I went away with a lump in my throat'. These are the words of Emily, a baby bank worker who's supporting families that the Tories have pushed into poverty through a decade of cuts.
"They don't need more empty words from a Prime Minister who simply doesn't care enough to act. This morning a new report from Citizens Advice Scotland warned that Tory cuts could reduce the value of Universal Credit by as much as a quarter, just when people need this money the most.
"Will the Prime Minister agree to meet with me and other opposition parties ahead of the Budget for an urgent summit on tackling child poverty or will he be yet another Tory prime minister who leaves a generation of children languishing in poverty?"
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Johnson rejected “entirely” what the SNP Westminster leader said.
The PM responded: I don't believe that any government could have done more to help the people of this country throughout this pandemic and we will continue to do so.
"And yes, of course, we bitterly, we bitterly lament and reject the poverty that some families unquestionably suffer and it is tragic that too many families have had a very, very tough time during this pandemic but we will continue to support them in all the ways we have set out."
Johnson did not get to finish his answer, however, after he again mispronounced the name of the SNP.
The Speaker intervened, stating: “We both know you’re only teasing [Blackford] and trying to wind up the [Westminster] leader of the SNP. Please, let’s drop it.”
Hoyle then moved on to the next question.
However, just a few minutes later Johnson again referred to the SNP as the "Scottish nationalist party" in an answer to Neil Gray.
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