ONE-TIME parliamentary opponents have come together to demand a cabinet secretary solely focused on tackling poverty and inequality is appointed by the next Scottish government.

Former SNP health secretary Alex Neil and the man who once shadowed him in Holyrood for Labour, Neil Findlay, have called for the move alongside the creation of a dedicated parliamentary committee to monitor progress and scrutinise government action.

Mr Neil said: “Poverty and inequality are the root cause of the divisions we see in our communities.

“The parties at Holyrood talk a good game about addressing these deep-seated issues but the delivery of practical solutions is sorely lacking.

“A cabinet secretary with a sole focus on these issues would concentrate minds and leave those in power nowhere to hide.”

A fifth or working adults and 15 per cent of pensioners in Scotland languish in poverty after housing costs, with nearly one in 10 people regarded as living in “very deep poverty,” and despite a statutory target to cut rates to under 10 per cent by 2030, 21 per cent of children in Scotland — around 210,000 — still live in poverty.

Accusing the current committees systems of a failure to “scrutinise or initiate policy,” Mr Findlay added: “The next Scottish parliament has to be the parliament that eradicates poverty once and for all.

“These issues cut across a wide range of policy areas: the economy, education, health, culture, justice, transport, and more.

“They do not fit neatly into the remit of any of the existing Cabinet posts or Holyrood committees.

“We are therefore calling for a cabinet secretary and a new committee to be established with a focus on eradicating poverty and making Scotland a fairer place.”