SNP Work and Pensions Spokesperson, John Mason MP, has hit out at the UK Government after a report revealed it was set to miss its own 2010 child poverty target.

New projections by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, based on current policies and the potential impact of the recession, suggest that the numbers of children in poverty will fall from the current figure of 2.9 million to 2.3 million by 2010 but this will still be 600,000 short of the government target of halving child poverty.

Commenting, Mr Mason said: "Despite a decade in power, and huge amounts of political goodwill, Labour are failing to deliver on this promise and now the Downing Street depression will make matters worse. This is totally inexcusable.

"Children in Scotland deserve the best possible start in life, and I am pleased that the Scottish Government is already working to achieve this. The Scottish Government is focussed on tackling the root causes of poverty through devolved levers such as education, health, employment, skills and housing.

"However, it is clear that there is a particular problem with the tax and benefits system which must be reformed to ensure that nobody is overlooked or trapped in a cycle of poverty.

"This report is a damning indictment of Labour’s record in government, but it’s not too late – the UK Government must follow Scotland’s lead and make tackling poverty an immediate priority."